


You're the One That I Want

by JS Jamesbrooke (Jaywriter)



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:26:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 141,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaywriter/pseuds/JS%20Jamesbrooke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Callie and Arizona become friends, but will one event that happened before they met keep them from being more? AU High School fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Just joined this site finally and now going to try and get all my stories up here. Bare with me while I figure it out.

**Prologue**

Arizona Robbins stood motionless, staring at the ominous double doors before her. She had been dreading this day for over a month, but here she stood. Her father had promised this would be the last time. She really hoped he hadn’t lied to her.

Pulling her bag tightly against her shoulder, she took a deep breath and let her feet guide her through the blue doors. The click behind her could barely be heard as the noise inside the building immediately assaulted her ears. Teenagers loitered the hallways in every nook and cranny. No one bothered to even glance at the new girl.

She didn’t bother to interrupt anyone’s conversation. Instead set out to find the office on her own. By now she was used to it, so much so that it was practically routine. Growing up with a father in the military, she was always just “that new girl.” Fourteen schools in twelve years didn’t leave a lot of time to make friends. Her father promised that this time would be different. She was going to be able to do her entire senior year at one school.

There was one big difference this year than all the years previous. This year she’d be completely alone. Her big brother wouldn’t be here. They were almost exactly a year apart so he graduated last year, leaving her to fend for herself during her senior year. Without her best friend by her side, she wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through the year.

The white lettering over the glass told Arizona that this was the door she was looking for. Pulling the door open, she wandered inside letting the quietness inside the small office push away the noise of the hallway.

Chairs on either side ran along the wall. Straight in front of her was a large wooden desk, complete with one of those swinging doors to keep the unwanted out. There were two smaller desks behind the main desk, both neat and organized, but it was only the beginning of the school year, so only time would tell if they stayed that way. The door to the left she surmised was probably the principal’s office.

The girl sitting behind the main desk looked far too young to be one of the office assistants, leading Arizona to believe she must be a student that worked in the office for one of her classes. She had gorgeous black hair, flowing freely down her back. From where she stood she couldn’t tell how long it was, but she bet it felt as soft as it looked.

“Can I help you?” came from the mouth of the beautiful creature.

Arizona shook off her thoughts and moved to step to the desk. “Yes, I’m Arizona Robbins, I’m supposed to start today.”

“Oh, right, Mrs. Montgomery told me we should expect you, let me to get her.” Arizona tried to stop herself from watching the girl as she stood up, moved over to the door and gently knocked. The body definitely matched the face, Arizona thought with a smile.

She had known for some time she was a lesbian, but this was the first time she really took notice of another woman that wasn’t on her television screen. At all of the other schools she’d been to, all of the pretty girls were so shallow it took away from their attractiveness. At least to her it did.

So lost in her musing she didn’t notice a redhead approach her. “Arizona Robbins?” came the quiet question, pulling her back to reality.

“Yes, Arizona, that’s me,” answered lamely.

“Great, we’ve been expecting you. I’m Mrs. Montgomery, the Vice-Principal. We just got your transcripts yesterday. Seems you’ve got quite the school resume.”

“Military brat,” she summed up quickly.

“Well all we need is for you to sign a few papers then you’ll be good to go. We’ve got your schedule ready. Luckily you’ve only missed a couple of days so it should be easy to dive right in.”

Arizona took the pen that was being offered to her by the gorgeous girl and quickly slapped her name next to the X’s. “This will be the first time I’ve actually gotten to start a new school at the beginning of the year.”

“Well I hope you like it here. We’re a fairly small school, compared to the others in the district, we have just over 800 students compared to the 1,200 or more.”

This was the same spiel she got at every school, why this one would be better than her last. Her parents taught her to never be rude, and respect your elders, so she always felt she had to contribute to the conversation. “I’ve been to schools of around 300 for four grades, and schools that had over 2,000.”

“Wow,” came a whisper from the raven girl, who quickly made it look like she wasn’t listening and went back to doing whatever she was doing.

She knew Mrs. Montgomery wanted to ask more questions, they always did. But she wasn’t in the mood to answer anymore. “Think I’ve got all these signed now,” she told the VP, handing the papers over to her.

“Great. Would you get her schedule for her?” Mrs. Montgomery asked the assistant.

Arizona couldn’t help but wonder about the girl’s heritage. She looked Mexican, but there was something different about her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. And she wasn’t about to assume anything. She’d been around the world and she’d seen prejudice and racism first hand. She wasn’t about to assume anything about anyone.

Before she knew it, her schedule was in her hands and she was leaving the office. She’d been offered a guide to show her around but declined. While every school was different, they were all alike in a way as well. It shouldn’t be too hard to find her way around.

Looking down at the piece of paper in her hand, she realized she had calculus first period in room 205. “Great, just want I wanted, math first thing in the morning,” she mumbled to herself. The hallways were clear so classes must have already started while she was in the office. So much for hoping she could quietly start her day.

Thank goodness this school didn’t have more than one building. The last high school she was in had five buildings in all. It took her almost a week before she could remember where all her classes were.

All the classes down here started with a one, so that was probably indicating which floor she needed to be on, which meant she needed to find a staircase. As she wandered the halls, she took a minute to glance at the other paper in her hand. It looked like her locker was also on the second floor. She’d have to look for that after her first class.

Stairs found, she took them two at a time, wanting to just find her first class already. Of course the first classroom she found was 230, which meant she was probably on the wrong side of the building. By the time she found the right room, the teacher was well into his lecture for the day. There was no way to just sneak in unnoticed.

“Ah, you must be Miss Robbins,” she heard as she entered the room. “I’m Mr. Peterson. There’s a book for you at the back of the room, get it and take a seat, we’re starting on page ten.”

“And this is how it begins,” Arizona thought to herself, opening the book. At least this was only a refresher of what they learned in pre-calculous.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

By the time the bell rang for lunch break, Arizona sighed with relief. This school was definitely one that took education serious. Her first three classes had clearly shown her that, and she still had one more after lunch. This school worked on an A and B rotation, so she’d have four classes one day, and a different four the next day.

On one hand she liked that kind of schedule because it gave you more time to relax between classes, since having a full schedule in one day always made you feel like you were rushing to the next class. The other side of that was that teachers seemed to give out a lot more homework, believing you had more time on your hands.

By the time she finally managed to find the cafeteria, the line was already extremely long. She’d be lucky to make it through and still have time to eat at this rate. Maybe she should have brown-bagged it, at least until she found her way around the school better.

“Hey, come sit with me,” she heard from somewhere behind her. She figured it was just someone talking to their friend, but decided to turn and look anyway. Standing right next to her was the gorgeous girl from this morning. “Come on,” she said again, signaling for her to follow.

Arizona pointed a finger at the line, trying to tell her without words that she needed to get through and get her food first.

“Don’t worry about that, you don’t want it anyway,” the raven haired girl told her, gently taking her arm and pulling her towards an empty table. Once they were seated, the other girl started pulling food out of the lunch bag she was carrying, splitting it between the two of them.

“I can’t eat your food,” Arizona tried to insist.

“It’s cool. My mom, she tends to go overboard, thinks I eat way more than I do. And it’s much better than anything the school provides.”

“Well, thanks then, um…”

The girl swallowed the bite in her mouth, then held out her hand for an introduction. “Sorry, forgot we haven’t actually been introduced. I’m Callie, Callie Torres.”

Arizona took Callie’s hand giving it a slight squeeze, “Arizona Robbins, but you knew that already. And thanks for inviting me to sit with you. Lunch is like the worst time to be the new kid,” she rambled. Callie. The name suited her, Arizona thought to herself as she slowly took a bite of the burrito Callie had given her.

“What did you do at your other schools?”          

“Oh, Tim and I seemed to always have the same lunch periods so we’d sit together.”

“Tim?” Callie asked her curiously.

“My brother, he graduated last year so this is the first year I’m going solo.”

“I see. Well you’re always welcome to sit with me,” Callie offered easily. She couldn’t say why, but the minute Arizona walked into the office that morning she caught her attention.

Arizona smiled at the offer. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to make friends here. She was going to be here the whole year anyway, it might be nice to try. “That’s nice, but I wouldn’t want to take you away from your friends.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I don’t have any. Not anymore anyway.”

The blonde was sure there was a story behind that but she didn’t want to pry. They’d just met, she didn’t want to scare Callie off by being to inquisitive.

“What lunch period do you have tomorrow?” Callie asked.

“Oh let me see,” she said excitedly, reaching down to pull her schedule out of her backpack. Laying it flat on the table, she studied it closely. “Looks like I have second lunch again tomorrow too.”

“Cool, so do I.”

The conversation flowed easily after that, Callie asking her how her day had been, and how it compared to some of the other schools she’d been too. She was amazed by how easy it was to talk to Callie, how even in the silences everything was comfortable. She’d only ever felt that with Tim. Before she knew, lunch was almost over.

“What class do you have next?” Callie asked her.

“Psychology.”

“Really? Same here. A family friend told me she took it in high school and it really helped her get through med school.”

“You want to go to med school?” Arizona asked excitedly, getting a nod from Callie in return. “Awesome, so do I.”

“You and me kid, are going to have a beautiful friendship,” Callie teased, getting up to throw their trash in the garbage. Arizona just laughed and grabbed her backpack, ready to follow the other woman to their class.

Callie seemed to have a great sense of humor and Arizona couldn’t help but be excited to get to know the girl better. She’d have to push down her almost instantaneous attraction, but she could do it. It would be worth it to finally have a real friend.

The flow of conversation kept up as they made their way to class, only stopping at Callie’s locker to grab her books. They were still early enough that nobody else had yet made it to the room. The desks were arranged in two U shape rows. They chose seats on the second row on the far side.

“Mrs. Calloway is a pretty fun teacher,” Callie tells her as they sit there waiting. “She told us on Monday that we’ll have one large paper to do this semester, but that the rest of the course work is group activities and such.”

“Awesome.” The conversation pretty much was halted then as the classroom began to fill up. A few students seemed to give Callie a harsh glare, but the other woman seemed to ignore them so she might as well ignore them too.

“Do you need a ride home?” Callie asked as they exited the classroom an hour and a half later.

“Nah, we live within walking distance. Thanks though.”

“Sure. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah see ya.”

**~CA~**

Arizona woke up the next morning more excited to get to school than she probably should have been. She hurried and jumped in the shower and dressed. Grabbing her bag she practically flew down the stairs.

“Wow, someone is in a hurry today,” Barbara Robbins said to her daughter as she raced into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

“I like this school.”

“Mmhmm,” Barbara agreed, giving her daughter a look that told her she knew more than she was being told. “Someone you have your eye on?”

“Mom, I’ve been there one day. Not enough time to make romantic connections.”

“I knew within a minute of meeting your father that he was the one.”

“Well not all of us can be that lucky,” Arizona told her mother, taking a bite of her pancakes. Her mother was the typical housewife and stay at home mom. Moving as often as they did, it was just easier for her to take care of the house. While they weren’t exceptionally rich, they made do with what they had.

“One day you’ll find the one you’re meant to be with, and you’ll know it.”

The teen didn’t answer her mother, instead finishing her breakfast in silence. Her mind wouldn’t let her stop thinking about what she said though. It made her wonder who her _one_ was, and if she’d already met her.

Getting to school early, she began wandering the halls looking for any sign of Callie but was coming up empty. She walked past the office several times but no sign of her there either. The other girl told her she worked as an office assistant on both A and B day so she was hoping she could at least tell her hello if she was already in there working.

There was still plenty of time before class but she didn’t want to end up looking like a stalker or something. Giving up, she headed up to the second floor intent on finding the computer lab. She didn’t want to be late for class on the second day and she still wasn’t completely familiar with this school.

She found the room with a few minutes to spare before the final bell. Introducing herself to the teacher, he quickly updated her on what she’d missed. Which was pretty much just getting their login numbers and familiarizing themselves with the schools system. He then pointed her to a terminal that she could use.

 “Today, class, we’re going to go through the different programs of Microsoft Office and how each one works,” Mr. Samson droned on. She’d been using these programs for years. None of this was new information for her. She wondered if anyone would notice if she took a quick nap.

**~CA~**

“You’re the new girl right?” A voice asked next to her as she headed back down the stairs towards the science labs and hour and half later.

“That’s me,” Arizona answered dryly.

“Saw you sitting with Callie Torres yesterday. You should be careful who you hang out with here. Unless you want her reputation to rub off on you,” the blonde girl told her with distaste.

“Oh yeah?” She asked, as if she was really listening to what this girl had to say.

“Yeah, she’s a total slut. Sleeps with anything that moves, men or women. Doesn’t matter to her. She probably just wants to do you,” she warned.

“Really?” Arizona asked with mock horror. “What’s your name?”

“Isabelle Stevens. You can call me Izzie.”

“Well thanks for the tip, Izzie.” Arizona replied, pretending like she really appreciated what she was being told. “Let me guess you’re a cheerleader?”

“Captain of the squad, two years running,” she boasted with pride.

“Of course you are,” Arizona tried not to cry in utter disgust.

Izzie smiled as if she’d just won the gold by having Arizona listening to her. “Play your cards right and I could put you on the squad.”

Catching sight of familiar black hair, Arizona sent a smile to the girl standing just a few feet behind Izzie, before turning back to look at the cheerleader. “See, here’s the thing, I’m really not one for clapping and shouting, and surrounding myself with shallow people. I think I’ll just stick with Callie.”

“Really you’d rather be a loser than popular?” Izzie asked like the concept was totally foreign to her.

“No I’d rather have real friends, than fake ones. She was nice to me when no one even bothered to give me a second glance yesterday. I’m guessing you wouldn’t have even noticed I existed until you saw me with Callie. Am I right?” She could see the truth in Izzie’s eyes. “Thought so. Now if you’ll move your ass, I’m going to go talk to my friend.”

Arizona didn’t wait for her to move, instead stepping around her so she could walk over to a laughing Callie.

“That was awesome!” Callie told her, giving her a high five. “Nobody around here dares to give it to Izzie like that.”

“Well I’m not just anybody.”

Callie smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders giving her a friendly half hug. “That’s what I like most about you.”

“What’s her deal with you anyway? Seems like that was more of a vendetta against you, than actually caring who I associate with.”

“We were friends up until end of last year. I was part of the popular crowd, queen bee and all that. Then I just woke up one day and asked myself what the point was. So I just walked away from it all.”

Arizona knew there was more to it than what she was saying. Callie was definitely hiding something. She just wasn’t sure what it was. If Callie didn’t want to tell her, then that was her business. She’d been nothing but nice to her, that was all she needed to know about her. Anything else just didn’t matter.

“So where you headed?” Callie questioned, changing the subject. Not wanting to discuss it any further.

“Biology.”

“Looks like we have another class together.”

“Awesome.”

“Lucky for me too. We picked our lab partners on Tuesday but there was on odd number so I was going solo.”

“Lucky indeed, I’m an awesome lab partner. I let you do all the work and I take all the credit,” she teased.

“Just how I like it,” Callie teased back, gently bumping shoulders with Arizona.

Unfortunately their teacher believed in assigned seats while they were listening to the day’s lectures at their desks so Arizona was forced to sit across the room from her new friend. At least they’d get to be together during lab times, it made it easy to endure listening to the woman with the nasally voice who stood at the front of the classroom lecturing.

Every now and then she’d catch sight of Callie and they’d give each other a smile and then turn their eyes back to the teacher. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think that Callie had the same need to look at her as she needed to look at Callie.

Already it was looking like this was going to be the best year she’d ever had.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Arizona excited her first class of the day and walked towards the office so she could meet up with Callie before heading to their biology class. It became habit over the last couple of weeks to meet up before class. That first B day they discovered they also shared gym class right after biology. So they’d walk there together, then head to lunch, only separating when going to their last class of the day.

Arizona liked to think they’d become really good friends in the two weeks she’d been at this school. They’d gone so far as to exchange numbers and would often text or talk after school, but they never made any kind of plans to meet up outside of school. Callie was always in such a hurry to get home.

She knew the other girl was very serious about school and tried to get straight A’s. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was more than that. Or maybe she was over thinking the whole thing. They’d only known each other two weeks. She just needed to stop over analyzing everything.

“What you thinking about?” Callie asked by way of greeting, seeing her friend was lost in thought.

“Nothing, just dreading biology,” Arizona lied. “No lab time today, just lectures.”

“I know what you mean. At least gym will be fun and we get to hang out,” Callie tried to look at the bright side.

“That’s only because we’re playing soccer and you’re whole family plays. Me, I just suck!” Arizona reminded her. Callie’s mom was from Mexico, which didn’t surprise Arizona, and that whole side of her family was big into the sport. Her mom’s family grew up kicking the ball up and down the street.

She also discovered her father’s family was originally from Cuba, although her father was born here in the states. That explained Arizona’s first impression of Callie thinking she looked Mexican, but the Cuban in her shone through as well.

“I’ll teach you some moves and we’ll have you playing in no time,” Callie offered.

Arizona just grunted like she didn’t believe her. “Let’s just get through biology first.”

Callie gave her a teasing bump to the shoulder, before turning to make their way to class. She wasn’t about to admit it, but she was as disappointed as Arizona that they would get no lab time today. She really loved spending the time with the blonde woman.

It was like the two of them had this instant connection, they were meant to know each other. Nothing else could explain how they became such fast friends and how they seemed to understand each other without talking. Even still, Callie held back some things she wanted to tell her friend, not sure how she’d react. How could she ever explain what her life had been like before Arizona came in to the picture?

By the time they got to gym, Callie was ready to run off some excess energy. Arizona always changed a lot faster than she did and ran out to the gym like she was afraid to be in the locker room too long. At first Callie teased her about it, but then she realized that maybe her friend had her own secrets so she just let her be, following her out a few minutes later.

When she finally reached the gym, she found Arizona slumped over on the bleachers, turning a soccer ball around in her hands. “Everything okay?” she asked gently, taking a seat beside her.

“Yeah, just dreading this. I’m really no good at sports in general, except maybe swimming.”

“I’d love to see you swim,” Callie admitted. She knew a few girls who were big swimmers, and Arizona reminded her of them. Callie wouldn’t be surprised if she got left behind in the water.

“A couple of the schools I went to had a pool, so you could take swimming as a class.”

“Too bad our school doesn’t have that. Our swim team hates having to make the trek to the city pool to practice every day.” It didn’t seem to hold them back though, returning with a district championship last year.

“Alright class, take your seats so we can do roll call,” Mrs. Drake called, clapping her hands to get their attention, stopping any further conversation between the girls.

When Mrs. Drake called to separate for teams it seemed as if the two girls were going to be separated, but Callie managed to get herself switched. Arizona wasn’t sure how she did it either, but she was grateful. The rest of the class Callie stayed with her, teaching her a few moves that she learned from other family members.

“See you’re doing just fine,” Callie encouraged.

“Only because you’re telling me what to do,” the blonde pointed out.

In the few weeks since Callie first had met Arizona, she realized one thing about her, she tended to get really down on herself. It was such a difference from Callie who always tried to be sure of herself. A mental ambition that had only become stronger in the last year. She couldn’t afford to doubt herself these days.

Arizona bent over, breathing heavily. Too much running back and forth really wore her out. If her father ‘The Colonel’ knew how out of shape she was, he’d have her running laps every morning.

“Hey Mrs. Drake, I’m feeling a little winded, mind if I cut out a few minutes early?” Callie called, noticing how tired Arizona was. “And Arizona too?”

“Of course, Callie,” the teacher called back.

“Thanks,” the brunette smiled at their teacher, walking over to Arizona and taking her arm to guide her back to the locker room.

“How’d you do that?” Arizona asked once they were alone. From what she’d heard around the school, Mrs. Drake could be a real hard ass.

“She just likes me I guess.”

“Mmhmm,” Arizona just gave her a look like she didn’t believe her for a minute, although teachers did seem to like Callie. Who wouldn’t? She was one of the friendliest people Arizona ever met. She still couldn’t understand why she didn’t really have any friends before she transferred here.

“Come on, let’s just get changed and get out of here,” Callie suggested.

**~CA~**

Arizona raced up the stairs as soon as she walked through the doors after school. Dumping her backpack on the floor by her bed, she unzipped it and pulled out her biology book, eager to get today’s homework done and out of the way since it was Friday night. Tim was coming home for the weekend and she wanted to be able to spend as much time as she could with him.

Just as she was getting to the end of the assignment, her phone began to ring from its place on the desk next to her. Seeing the name that popped up on the screen, she quickly snatched it up. “Callie, hey,” she said smiling into the phone.

 “Hey sorry to bug you, but I can’t seem to read my own handwriting.”

“It’s cool, what did you need?”

“Pretty much everything after the definition of photosynthesis,” Callie agreed begrudgingly causing Arizona to laugh.

“Alright, but I hope you’re typing these up this time,” she teased. Holding her notebook up, she began to read off all the notes she’d taken in class, giving Callie plenty of time to get it all down.

“Really sorry about this. I think I fell half asleep in class today.”

“I don’t blame you, I almost did too.”

Arizona was about to suggest maybe they could do their assignments together and help each other out when she heard a man’s voice come through the phone. “Calliope, Sandra needs you,” the voice said. _Calliope is that Callie’s full name?_ Pretty name, Arizona thought to herself.

“Will you tell her I’ll be there in a minute?” The man must have agreed because next thing she heard Callie say was, “Thanks Dad.”

“Sorry about that. I was hoping we could talk about something other than school work, but it seems I have to go.”

“It’s alright. My brother should be here soon anyway.”

“Oh that’s right, you said he was coming for a visit. Well guess I’ll talk to you later,” Callie told her, ending the call only after Arizona said goodnight.

Arizona sat staring at her phone for several minutes after the line went dead. She couldn’t help but wonder who Sandra was. Callie never said she had a sister, so that wasn’t likely it. Apparently it was all a part of the Callie mystery she was still trying to figure out.

“Where’s that baby sister of mine?” a male voice could be heard yelling from down the hallway.

Without any hesitation, Arizona walked over to her bedroom door and stuck her head out into the hallway. “I’m not a baby,” she yelled back with mock irritation.

“You’ll always be my baby sister, Ari Zona,” he told her with his signature way of breaking up her name.

“Why couldn’t you be a normal brother and at least give me a nick name or something?”

“That would be no fun, Ari Ari Zona Zona,” he teased.

Arizona rolled her eyes at her brother’s antics. “You can be so annoying sometimes.”

“And you love me anyway,” he said as if it was obvious.

The younger sibling smiled and threw herself into his arms then. “That I do. Missed you big brother,” she admitted, hugging him tightly.

She laughed as she swung her around in the air. She’d missed him more than she’d admit too. He wasn’t just her big brother. He was also her best friend. When he told her he wanted to follow their father’s footsteps and was joining the military, it was the only real fight they’d ever had. Although he wanted to join the air force to become a pilot, unlike their father who was in the army.

She called him some nasty names that day, yelled and screamed at him for hours for being so stupid and maybe ending up getting himself killed in the long run. Really she was just worried about him. She didn’t know what she’d do without him.

She cried alone in her room for several days after he enlisted, and refused to even speak to him. It was even more difficult because she had nobody else to talk to about the whole thing. How she wished she had a friend like Callie just a few months earlier.

Eventually she apologized to him and they made peace with each other again. Just in time for him to leave for boot camp. Saying goodbye to him that day was miserable. But she waved him off, at peace that he knew she was no longer mad at him.

“How was boot camp?”

“Work,” he shot back quickly. He always prided himself on being in shape, but he knew now that in shape before boot camp was a far cry from where he was after. “Drill sergeants like to work you to the bone, then work you some more,” he tried to make it sound worse than it really was.

“Awe poor baby,” Arizona teasingly soothed. “How long you home for?”

“I leave Tuesday so I can start work on Wednesday.”

“Do you know where you’re going yet?” This was the question that plagued her mind most. He could be assigned to any base. She knew he could put in some preferences but that didn’t mean he’d get them. He’d already told her he would likely be assigned out of state.

“Yep, Hill Air Force Base.”

“I’ve never even heard of that one,” Arizona had to admit. Being a military brat, she knew of a lot of bases, many of them that other people had never even heard of.

“It’s in northern Utah.”

“Ah, I think that’s the one state we actually haven’t been too.”

“I know, so at least I’ll get some new experiences,” he joked.

“Isn’t that the state with all the Mormons?” She asked, trying to remember anything she’d heard about Utah. He nodded his head. “Have fun with that. Try not to let some girl drag you to church,” she advised in jest. Their family had never been big on religion, so she wasn’t sure what the appeal was, but she didn’t judge those that went to church.

“Gee, thanks. What about you? Got any boys you’ve got your eyes on at your new school?” he asked in all seriousness.

Arizona paused, trying to decide just what to tell him. As close as they were, she’d never told him about being gay. She was still trying to get comfortable with it herself when he left.

“What is it?” Tim asked her. She should have known nothing could get by him. “You can tell me anything you know that right?”

“I do,” she admitted. “I’m just not sure how to say it I guess.”

“Just say it.”

She took a deep breath. “There isn’t a boy, but there is a girl I have my eye on. We’re friends, but sometimes I have feelings towards her that is more than friendly.”

“You think she feels the same?” he asked, not even flinching at the admission.

“I haven’t given it much thought actually. I’m still trying to come to terms that I feel this way. You’re not surprised?” She asked him, not missing his non reaction to her admission.

“Not really. I mean really. You’ve always had a tendency to study the female form longer than I do. Especially when we go to the beach and see all those girls in bikinis,” he smirked.

Slapping him upside the head, “You’re an ass.” Turning so she could look him in the eyes, wanting to see for herself his answer. “You’re really okay with this though?”

“Arizona, you’re my baby sister and my best friend. All I want is for you to be happy, and for that to happen you have to go where your heart tells you. If that means that someday you marry another woman, then I’ll dance so hard at your wedding knowing you followed your heart.”

Arizona let the tears fall, overcome with emotion over the truth in her brother’s eyes. Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tightly to him. “Thank you,” she whispered into his shirt, returning the hug. They just sat there in silence for several minutes, letting the conversation settle with both of them.

“Now about this woman, when can I meet her?” he asked with mischief in his voice, breaking the silence.

“Um, how about never,” she shot back, knowing if Tim met Callie he would tease them both endlessly. The thought made her smile, she was happy to have her brother home if only for a little while.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

“My brother is being stationed in Utah,” Arizona whined to Callie on the phone the next day. She knew it could have been worse. Utah wasn’t that far away from Washington, but he would still be farther than Arizona wished he was going to be.

“Look on the bright side, maybe come winter you can go visit him. There’s awesome skiing out there,” Callie tried, hoping to cheer her friend up. “My family went out there a few years ago for winter break. It was a lot of fun.”

Arizona sighed. She appreciated what Callie was trying to do. “Maybe,” she finally replied quietly. Knowing that deep down she’d spend every day worrying that he’d only be there a short time and then be sent somewhere else, or worse: overseas.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Callie told her sincerely.

“It’s just, he’s my best friend. No offense.”

“None taken.” And there wasn’t. Callie couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to move around like Arizona had. She’d lived in the same house her whole life. Her family had been on many vacations and explored different places, but she always got to come home to the same house her parents bought before she was born.

“I’m just gonna miss him. That’s all.”

“I know you are.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” Arizona suggested. She was afraid if she kept talking about her brother that she’d get upset. She wasn’t about to cry over the phone to Callie. So instead they started talking about what they were going to do that weekend. Eventually moving on to just any little trivial thing that popped into their minds.

Arizona didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing her friend’s voice. There was something almost musical in the way Callie spoke at times. “Why aren’t you in choir?” the words flying out of her mouth before she could think it through.

Callie laughed. “Why do you ask that?”

“It’s nothing. Never mind.”

“No, I want to know. As your friend I have a right to know,” Callie teased.

“It’s nothing. You just have a really nice voice, that’s all.”

The dark haired girl thought about that. “I guess I never really thought about it. I’ve always been more focused on my goals of med school.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Arizona admitted. She was the same way. She took the classes to meet her requirements, but all the extras were those focused on her own ambition to get into med school.

“I’m sorry, Arizona, but it seems I gotta go. I’m needed in the other room.”

“Okay, well I’ll talk to you later then.” Something that could possibly qualify as goodbye left Callie’s lips before the phone disconnected. “Well that was odd,” she thought out loud.

She wasn’t surprised though, it happened many times before when they were on the phone. One minute they’d be laughing and joking around and the next Callie would run off. One of these days she would figure out the mystery that was Callie Torres.

Today, however, was not that day. Today she was spending with her brother. He promised her a round of mini-golf. A chance to prove that he didn’t cheat the last time they played. She didn’t believe him for a minute. She may suck at sports, but she could work a mini-golf course like it was made for her.

“Talking to the girlfriend again?” Tim teased when she made her way to his room.

“She is not my girlfriend, you ass,” she exclaimed as she moved over to the bed and smacked him across the shoulder. “And shush, still haven’t worked up to telling the parentals just yet.”

“They’ll be fine with it you know?”

“We’re talking about Daniel “The Colonel” Robbins here.”

“Yes, but he loves you. It might take him awhile, but he’ll eventually come around.”

“I wish I could have your confidence,” she told him, sitting down on the bed and letting him wrap his arms around her.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. “It’ll be fine. I promise. And if not, well then you can always come live with me,” he joked.

“I love you big bro.”

“Right back at you, kid.”

“So ready to get your ass kicked at mini-golf?” she asked with a smile on her face.

“Bring it on.”

**~CA~**

“Alright class,” Mrs. Calloway said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Today is the day you’ve all been waiting for. Today you find out what the paper is going to be about that I want you to write.”

The entire class groaned. She’d alluded to this mysterious term paper several times over the last four weeks, but so far had yet to let them in on what it was. Arizona was hoping it wouldn’t be something to hard.

“Now, for this assignment you’re going to need to be paired up,” the teacher continues. “I was going to assign you a partner.” This got another groan. “However, I realized it might be better for you to pick your partners.” At this, Arizona and Callie exchanged a smile.

“I want you each to share an event in your life with your partner. It needs to be something that had a major impact on your life. Then using everything we’ve learned so far, I want the partners to write a paper in the form of past, present, and future. How you think it affected them then, now, and how it will affect them in the future. Do you all understand?”

A few kids asked questions, but everyone seemed to get the gist of what was being asked of them. “You have until the end of the term to write it. It doesn’t have to be long, but it does need to be honest and I need to be able to see that it is as complete as can be.”

The rest of the class they were left to choose their partners and figure out what they wanted to share with the other person. Arizona wasn’t sure that there was any such event in her life. Her whole life was like one big event. Constantly moving, being the new girl.

“Looks like we’ll have to get together outside of school,” Arizona pointed out. “I don’t really want to be sharing things where everyone can hear.”

“Yeah, that would probably be best,” Callie agreed. “You think you’re parents will mind if we come to yours?”

“Yeah, I don’t think they’ll mind. They might faint though,” the blonde teased, leaving Callie slightly confused. “Constantly moving, never had friends, certainly not ones that visited.” Callie nodded her understanding.

“Okay, cool. I’ll have to see what I can work out. See what days I don’t need to get right home.”

“Why don’t we just work at your house then? Would that be easier?” Arizona asked her. Trying to make it easier on the other girl.

Callie shook her head. “No, too much distraction there. It would be much better at yours.”

“Alright, well just text me tonight when you figure it out then.”

“Deal.”

**~CA~**

Arizona headed down the stairs towards the living room with a big grin plastered on her face. Putting hands on the back of the couch, she jumped up and over the back, landing with a thud next to Tim. Good thing her parents weren’t home. They both hated when she jumped over the couch like that.

“What’s got you grinning like the cat that got the cream?”

“Too bad you’re leaving tomorrow, bro,” she answered instead.

“Why’s that?”

“If you were still here on Wednesday, you’d get to meet Callie. She just text me, we have a paper to work on for psychology so she’s coming over to work on it.” She was finally getting to see her friend outside of school. She couldn’t wait. Maybe it was just because she’d never had a friend to do things with before, but she was really looking forward to spending more time with the other girl.

“So the girlfriend is coming over,” Tim smirked.

“Ugh, you are so annoying,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t let the parents catch you two making out. That probably wouldn’t be the best way to tell them.”

Grabbing a pillow and placing it on her face, she groaned into it. She loved her brother, she really did. But sometimes she just wanted to kill him. Like right now. “We’re just friends,” she finally muttered when she came up from behind the pillow.

“But you like her,” he pointed out.

“Of course I like her. Who wouldn’t? She’s amazing,” she spoke without much thought, getting a grin from Tim.

“You just proved my point.”

“Yes, I like her, as in romantically, but we’re still just friends. I think that’s all we’ll ever be. She’s probably straight anyway.”

“Have you asked her?” No of course she hadn’t. That wasn’t something you just asked, especially with such a new friendship. She was pretty sure that was how it worked anyway. She didn’t have much experience with the whole thing.

“I can’t just ask her if she’s straight.”

“I’m not saying you straight out ask her. Just maybe bring up the subject somehow.”

She sighed, knowing in some ways he had a point. She’d never know if she didn’t ask. She just didn’t think she could do it. “I finally have a friend, a real friend who’s not you. I don’t want to mess that up.”

“Okay, okay. You know I got your back either way. I just want to see you happy,” the emotion in his voice telling the truth of that statement.

“I know you do.” Snuggling down into his chest, she found comfort in hearing his heart beat just below her ear, knowing that for now he was still here.

They spent the rest of the night like that. Huddled on the couch, watching whatever caught their attention as they flipped through channels. It reminded her of when they were younger and their parents would go out for the night leaving the two of them alone.

Finally turning the TV off many hours later, they headed up the stairs, just standing in the hallway in silence. By the time she got home from school the next day he would well be on his way to his new home. So for now this was goodbye.

“Give me a hug,” he told her, opening his arms for her to fall into. They embraced for what felt like hours, just standing there holding each other. Hiding her face in the crook of his neck, she wrapped her arms tighter around him. “Take care of yourself, ya hear,” he finished by placing a kiss in her hair.

“You take care of yourself,” she answered back, putting emphasis on ‘you.’ She’d never admit how worried she was for him, but she didn’t have too. He always just seemed to know. It was like one of those freaky twins things, except they weren’t twins. They were just really close. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know you’re not going off to war… yet. But I still worry, so be careful, alright?”

“I will, I promise.” They finally pulled apart, each going into their separate rooms.

Walking into her connecting bathroom, she stripped off her clothes and headed for the shower. Letting the water wash over her, she let it soothe her. It wasn’t enough to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks, mixing with the water as it ran down the drain.

It was a lot easier to say goodbye to her brother when he was just going to boot camp. Now he was leaving to go work in another state. He could be called overseas at any time. If that happened, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see him again.

When they were in elementary, their father had to go to Afghanistan for awhile. It was shortly after the attacks on the twin towers, so she was only in second or third grade. She remembered seeing the worry in her mother’s eyes every day that he was gone. They all worried he wouldn’t come back.

Every day they’d come home from school hoping that when they stepped through the door he’d be inside waiting for them. Instead they’d find their mother alone on the couch, soaps on the TV and a bunch of crumpled tissues all over the floor. It was the only time Arizona could remember that her mother didn’t have the house neat and tidy.

The day he stepped off the plane back on to USA soil for good was the best day of their lives. Their parents pulled them out of school for a week and they’d hit the road, just spending time as a family. So far it was the greatest time of her life.

Turning the shower off, she climbed out and wrapped herself in a giant fluffy towel. Moving back into her room, she sat on the stool in front of her vanity and brushed her hair. She finished by braiding it up tight, planning to leave it down and wavy at school the next day.

Pajamas were next as she moved to the closet and pulled a fresh tank top and shorts on. Her mind never straying from the memories of the only real family vacation they’d ever taken. It was only after she’d turned off the light and crawled into bed that she realized she did have a story to tell Callie for the assignment.

Now if only Wednesday would come.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Arizona could swear the clock had stopped. Every time she glanced at it, it didn’t seem to have even moved from the last time she took a glance. She was anxious for the bell to ring and signal the end of the school day. Today was the day Callie was coming over and she was anxious to spend time with her friend away from school.

When her eyes were done glaring at the clock, they’d move to Callie, hoping to see the same anxious look in hers. Each time, however, she couldn’t decipher the look on Callie’s face. It was almost as if she was flipping back and forth through several emotions. But none stayed long enough for her to figure out what they were.

Arizona looked back at the clock and groaned. There was still a whole ten minutes before the bell would ring. Of its own accord, her foot began to bounce with anticipation. “Come on, come on,” she murmured under her breath.

A small piece of folded paper found its way onto her desk. Opening it up, she smiled at what was written on it. “I’m ready to get out of here too, but staring at the clock isn’t going to make it go any faster,” it read.

“But it’s taking so long,” Arizona wrote back, making Callie laugh at her friend’s whine. She could clearly here the blonde saying that in her head. Arizona had the cutest voice when she was whining, but Callie would never tell her that.

When the bell did finally ring, Arizona almost bounced out of her seat and screamed “yay,” but she controlled herself just in time. Throwing her stuff into her backpack, she stood up and turned to make sure Callie was doing the same. The brunette was gathering her stuff up, but at a much slower pace.

“You’re like a five year old waiting for the movie to start,” Callie laughed when she saw the impatient look on Arizona’s face.

“I’m sorry I’m so excited this is all just so…”

“New for you. I get it,” Callie finished for her. She couldn’t imagine what growing up had been like for the blonde. No birthday parties with a dozen screaming kids running around. No running back and forth between friends’ houses, trying to decide what to do.

They walked out to the student parking lot side by side, mostly in silence. In a lot of ways, this was new for Callie too. She’d never spent time with someone she considered a true friend. Before, the kids she hung around were all from similar backgrounds, and their friendship was always superficial at best. It was one of the reasons she walked away from it last year. The other reason, well, it was just as important, if not more so.

“It seems a waste to drive,” Arizona joked as they climbed into Callie’s car. “I only live like a block away.”

“Well maybe we should push the car to your house then, save on gas,” Callie fired back teasingly. It did seem a waste, but if she left her car here, she’d have to walk back to get it when it was time for her to head home. Not something she wanted to do.

Arizona wouldn’t pretend to know anything about cars, but she could tell this wasn’t some cheap hand-me-down, or bought used. She filed that away as a piece to the Callie mystery. It also smelled clean, like it had been professionally cleaned and recently. “Smells nice in here.”

“Thanks. Had a little mishap the other day so my dad had it cleaned. He gets like that sometimes,” Callie told her. “Which one’s your house?”

“That one,” Arizona answered her, pointing at a tan brick, two-story home. “Just park in the driveway behind my mom’s car.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, she rarely leaves the house at night unless it’s with my dad, and then they just take his car.”

“Alright,” Callie agreed, pulling up about a foot behind the white Toyota, throwing the car into park.

The two girls grabbed their bags out of the back seat, where they’d placed them just minutes before, and headed towards the house. Arizona led them both to the side door that entered straight into the kitchen. If her mom was home, then it was always unlocked. While Arizona and Tim always had trouble making friends, Barbara Robbins didn’t. And she made it clear that their neighbors were always welcome in their home by leaving the door unlocked in invitation.

“Hi, Mom,” Arizona greeted as they entered the kitchen to find her mom busy working on dinner. Walking to the stove, she places a kiss on her mother’s cheek.

“Hi, dear. Who’s this?” Barbara asked, noticing someone else in the room with them.

“Mom, this is Callie. Callie this is my mother, Barbara,” Arizona introduced them.

“Ah, the famous, Callie,” the older Robbins spoke without much thought.

Arizona rolled her eyes and let out a moan, seeing the interested look on Callie’s face. “We have a paper to work on so we’ll be in my room,” Arizona told her mother, taking Callie’s arm and dragging her up the stairs.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Barbara called to their retreating forms.

“So, I’m famous huh?” Callie teased once they were in Arizona room and the door was shut tight behind them.

“Shut up,” Arizona groaned, throwing her backpack on her bed, then bouncing back on it. “My family is so annoying,” she whispered to herself, not intending for Callie to really hear her.

Callie took a seat next to Arizona on the bed, opening her bag to pull out her notebook and pen. “You mind if we start with you first? I haven’t really figured out just what to share.”

“Nah that’s fine,” Arizona answered. She was hoping maybe they’d have a moment to relax, but it looked as if Callie wanted to jump right in. She was right in assuming that Callie Torres was very serious about her grades.

For the next hour, Arizona talked about the time in her life when her father was overseas. She held nothing back as she expressed how she felt during that time in her life. Callie tried to write down as much of it as she could, asking questions when she felt she needed a little more info. They probably should have used a tape recorder to capture each other’s emotions. It would be easier to study that as they wrote their papers, but instead she just tried to take as detailed notes as possible.

A knock at the door caused them to pause for a moment. “Callie, are you staying for dinner?” Barbara asked as she poked her head inside her daughter’s room.

“I’m not sure,” Callie told her hesitantly, taking a quick look at her phone. It didn’t go unnoticed by Arizona, neither did the other dozen or so times her friend had previously checked it.

“Well just let me know. We’ll have plenty either way,” and with that she was headed back downstairs, leaving them alone once again.

“Mom likes feeding people,” Arizona told Callie once her mother was gone. “She’s always taking plates over to neighbors who are sick or just need a little pick-me-up. It’s even worse when we actually live on base.”

“Why don’t you live on base here?” It was something Callie had been curious about for awhile now. As often as they moved, you would think maybe it would be easier that way.

“Dad promised we’d live here long enough for me to finish high school in one place. Since we’ll be staying here at least a year, he figured we might as well get our own place. I’m not complaining though, it’s kind of nice living a fairly civilian life.”

Callie just made a noise of understanding, before lying back on Arizona’s bed, really taking in the room for the first time since they got there. A few posters lined her walls, but mostly the walls were very simple and plain. Her furniture, however, was covered in stickers or painted. “This room’s nice, interesting decorating technique,” she complimented, pointing at Arizona’s desk and dresser.

“Thanks. I tried decorating the walls at one of our houses, but then we moved like two months later. I decided it was just easier to decorate furniture instead of having to pull everything off the walls all the time.”

“I see,” Callie said, closing her eyes and just relaxing.

Arizona couldn’t help butt stare at how at ease the other girl seemed to be right then. Callie was gorgeous. To the blonde, she was quite simply perfect. It wasn’t until Callie’s breath started to slow down, that Arizona realized how tired the other girl looked.

Callie had her eyes closed less than five minutes before her phone started ringing. She shot straight up, almost knocking heads with Arizona as she did so. Before Callie could hit the ‘accept call’ button, Arizona managed to catch the name on the screen.

“What’s wrong?” Callie asked without preamble. The Latina got up and started pacing the room as she listened to the other person on the phone. “Alright, I’ll meet you there,” was the last thing Callie said before hanging up the phone.

“Sorry…”

“But you’ve got to go,” Arizona finished for her, knowing exactly where this was going.

“I don’t have time to explain right now, but I promise I will.” Callie grabbed her backpack and started throwing everything inside. “I’m really sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s okay.” Or at least Arizona tried to make herself believe it was. She was starting to wonder if Callie would ever tell her. She barely uttered a goodbye before Callie was racing down the stairs and out to her car.

Arizona followed her down more slowly, wondering just who this Sandra was, and what made Callie run out of here so fast. She made her way into the kitchen where her mom was sitting at the table reading a book while she waited for dinner to finish cooking. The older woman didn’t even bother looking up before speaking. “Callie leave then?”

“Yeah,” Arizona answered slumping down into a chair, her tone of voice catching her mother’s attention.

“What’s the matter?”

“I really like her, but I feel like she’s purposely hiding something. Like there’s something she’s not telling me.”

“Honey, you’ve known her less than a month. It takes time to build friendships.”

Arizona sighed, knowing her mother was right. But she wanted to know everything about Callie, and she wanted to know sooner rather than later. “I know, I just really like finally have a friend, and I wish she knew she could trust me with anything.”

“You like her,” Barbara stated.

“Of course I like her,” Arizona answered as if that was obvious.

“I mean you like her, as in more than a friend.”

“Yes… wait how did you… what?” Was her mother really saying what Arizona thought she was saying?

Barbara just laughed. “Oh honey, you’re not that good at hiding it. I’ve always suspected, but then was fairly positive about two years ago. That one teacher you used to talk about all the time. Nothing says crush like the way you’d go on about her class.”

Ah, yes, Arizona remembered now, Mrs. Crandle. She did come home from school gushing about that class every day. “So you’re okay with this?”

Barbara stood up and walked over to her daughter, pulling her up and into a tight hug. “Of course I am, sweetheart. All that matters to me is that you find someone who loves you and makes you happy.”

“What about Dad?”

“Oh, your dad will try to scare anyone you bring home. But he feels the same way I do.” Arizona just hugged her mom tighter, letting out a small cry of relief that she could finally be who she was with her family.

**~CA~**

“Think we can get together today?” Arizona asked Callie before school the next day. “You still need to tell me your event so I can do my paper,” she reminded her, trying to sound as friendly as possible. She didn’t want Callie to think she was mad at her or anything.

“I know. I’m sorry I had to run out on you last night. Things are a little hectic at home right now.” That was an understatement. “I think I can manage tonight though.” Before parting to being their day, they arranged to meet after school, and go home together, since they had different classes last period.

Just before the final bell rang to end the day, Arizona received a text, telling her that Callie couldn’t make it after all. Arizona sighed, but just responded that she understood and maybe they could do it the next day.

But several days, and several cancellations later, Arizona was starting to wonder what was really going on. Callie still hadn’t explained why she ran out on her that first day. In fact it almost seemed as if the other girl had been avoiding her the last six days.

So on the seventh day, when she walked home alone again, she pulled out the school directory she’d received on her first day of school and found Callie’s address. With a few promises to be careful, and be home before curfew, she had her mom’s keys in hand and headed out.

She had a feeling Callie came from a fairly wealthy home and as she drove through the neighborhood, and each house got bigger than the last, she wasn’t shocked. But when she pulled up in front of the house with the right address, she was floored. The house in front of her wasn’t just big, it was a freaking mansion. She was surprised it didn’t have a guarded gate out front.

Following the gravel drive, she parked behind several other cars, but far enough back she didn’t think she’d be in anyone’s way. Long after the car had been turned off, she sat with her hands on the wheel, not making any move to get out. She wasn’t sure now if she was ready to find out her friend’s secrets.

When she finally did look up, she was certain she saw a pair of eyes watching her from one of the second story windows. Someone knew she was here, so she couldn’t just slip back off as if she never came. Taking a deep breath, she opened door and stepped out of the car.

She wasn’t surprised when Callie opened the door before she could even finish making it up the steps. Neither girl spoke a word, as Callie stepped aside to allow Arizona to step through the door.

Callie was the first to break the silence. “I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you and cancelling on you. I’ve just been trying to figure some things out.”

“Like why you ran out on me, and who Sandra is?”

“Partly that. And partly if I was ready or not to tell you something no one knows. Because if I tell you, it’ll become public.”

“You can tell me anything, and I wouldn’t say a word if you didn’t want me too.”

“I know, but the thing I need to tell you, is also the biggest event in my life.”

Now Arizona was a whole different kind of confused. All of this avoidance led back to their paper?

“Come upstairs,” Callie told her softly. She didn’t wait for an answer, instead leading the way out of the room. Arizona followed, unsure if she was ready to know Callie’s secret, but knowing she was going to find out anyway.

Once on the second floor, Callie took them to the right and down the hallway passing several closed doors. She finally stopped in front of one that was open, but Arizona couldn’t see inside it just yet. But from what she could remember about the outside of the house, this was possibly the room she thought she saw someone watching her from.

Callie gave her a look, silently asking her if she was okay. Obviously Arizona gave her the look she wanted to see, because she moved inside with Arizona following close behind.

In front of them was a couch, but facing the other direction, so all Arizona could see was the back of a young woman’s head. “This is Sandra,” Callie told her, causing the woman to turn and smile at Arizona. She was young, probably hadn’t been out of high school more than a few years, and looked like she could be Hispanic.

“And this,” Callie continued, reaching down to pull something out of Sandra’s lap, “is my daughter.”


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Did Callie really say what Arizona thought she did? Surely she misunderstood. Or she was hearing things.

“Amelia, say hi to Mommy’s friend, Arizona,” Callie told the cute baby in her arms in a soft baby-voice. She walked closer to the blonde, gently waving the baby’s hand as she did so. The infant let out a soft coo as a smile appeared on her face.

Arizona had to admit the baby was adorable, and looked a lot like Callie. “You…” she paused, trying to get her thoughts together. “You have a baby.”

Callie sighed, taking a good look at Arizona, trying to gauge what her friend was thinking. She felt bad for having kept this from Arizona for so long. They hadn’t known each other for long, but they’d connected so deeply already. She just didn’t talk about Amelia to anyone outside of this house. “I do. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted too, I just don’t like talking about it.”

Maybe she hadn’t phrased that right, Callie thought to herself when she saw the look in Arizona’s eyes. Going back over her words, she realized how it might have sounded. “Not her, I love talking about her. It’s all the questions I’d have to answer about how she got here that I don’t like.”

A thought popped into Arizona’s head then and if she was right, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. She didn’t want to think about Callie having to go through that. “Were you…” she couldn’t even say the word.

She didn’t have to though. Callie knew exactly where Arizona’s mind has gone. Amelia was slowly falling asleep in her arms, so she leaned down and put a soft kiss on the baby’s forehead. “Sandra, will you go lay her down?” Callie asked the other woman who was still in the room. “Just bring me the monitor when she’s down and you’re done for the night,” she told Sandra as she left the room with the baby.

“Sandra is Amelia’s nanny,” Callie informed Arizona once the other woman was gone. She moved to sit on the couch, signaling for the blonde to come take a seat next to her. “No, I don’t think I was raped, at least that I can remember.”

_“Izzie, really, I have too much homework to do,” Callie tried, in vain, to convince her friend to just drop the subject._

_“It’s the freaking weekend,” Izzie responded. “You need to get out more. You’re going to this party. So get dressed,” she commanded._

_Callie wasn’t sure why she caved, but before she knew it, they were walking through the house of a classmate she didn’t even know. The entire structure was filled with bodies and you couldn’t take a step without touching someone._

_“Here,” Mark told her, handing her a cup with a foul smelling drink inside. She had known Mark since they were in kindergarten, their parents were friends, so she trusted him. Taking a drink, she gagged at the burn down her throat but continued drinking. As the night wore on, more drinks were pushed in her face and she continued to suck them all down, finally letting go and having some fun._

Callie’s story was interrupted by Sandra entering the room again to give her the baby monitor. The young mother smiled at the small screen showing her slumbering baby. “Have a good night Sandra,” she told the young woman.

“You too, Miss Callie.”

Once she was gone, Callie started her story once again. “Next thing I know, I’m waking up in some bedroom I’d never seen before. I was fully clothed, so figured I must have just passed out. I walked home and didn’t give it much thought. That was until a few weeks later.”

_Callie sucked in a deep breath, praying her stomach would settle down. This was the third day in a row she’d been throwing up and she was starting to worry. She knew she didn’t have a fever so she didn’t think it was the flu._

_She was starting to worry that something was really wrong with her, cancer or something. Then as if a light bulb went off, she wondered if something happened that night and she just didn’t remember it._

_As soon as she possibly could, she cornered Izzie at school. “What happened that night? At the party?”_

_“We had fun,” the blonde stated as if it was obvious, not sure what her friend was getting at._

_“I don’t remember anything from that night,” Callie told her angrily, “tell me what you remember.”_

_“We were drinking and dancing. Some college guys crashed the party, one of them asked you to dance. You two seemed to hit it off, so I left you two alone.”_

_“Damn it Izzie,” Callie growled storming off. “What you really mean is you left me, so you could go get it on with some guy you were flirting with.” She knew the other girl all too well. They’d been friends for years, although Callie wasn’t sure she’d even call her that, especially now._

“After school that day, I went and bought a pregnancy test. Obviously it came back positive.”

So Callie had been pregnant last school year. “So that’s why Izzie now says you sleep with everything that moves? Because you were pregnant?” Arizona asked, thinking it was more of a statement than a question.

“No, she started that rumor when I told her I was done being friends with her. I called her a whole bunch of horrible names and told her real friends look out for each other. She got pissed off and decided she wanted to tear me down. Nobody outside of my family knows about Amelia.”

“So the rumor, is just that,” Arizona said, letting out a relieved sigh.

Callie wasn’t sure why it mattered, but she never wanted Arizona thinking anything bad about her. And she really wanted the other girl to know everything. “I want you to know, that night was the only time.”

“You don’t have to tell me this, really.” She didn’t want Callie thinking she needed some explanation.

“No, I want you to know. I haven’t dated much, always choosing instead to focus more on my school work. So I certainly never dated someone long enough I wanted to sleep with. I love my daughter, and I don’t regret having her, but that was not what it was supposed to be like. My first time was supposed to be with someone I loved, really loved.”

A silence fell upon the room then. Arizona didn’t know why Callie felt it was so important for her to know all of that, but it did make her feel better. She was, however, trying to get her mind to wrap around the fact that Callie, her best friend, the girl she was crushing on, was a mother. Callie had a baby, an adorable one, but a real living baby.

Gone were the questions of whether Callie was straight or not. That seemed so inconsequential. The bigger question was if they ever got together, could they handle having a very adult relationship while still in high school. Callie and Amelia were a packaged deal, and whoever wanted to be with Callie would have to be willing to take the whole package.

“How old is she?” Arizona asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Five months old, yesterday,” Callie stated proudly.

“She’s so tiny,” the blonde said in disbelief.

“She’s actually bigger than her doctors predicted she’d be now.”

“Doctors, as in more than one?” Arizona asked, catching the plural form.

“Yeah, she was born almost nine weeks early, so for a preemie she’s actually doing really well in the growth department.”

The more Callie told her, the more she was amazed at everything she’d been through. No wonder the Latina seemed like such a mystery when they’d first met. She had a lot to hide. It wasn’t hard for her to understand why either. She could see Callie wasn’t ashamed of Amelia, she was protecting her, and possibly herself. Teenagers could be cruel, especially spoiled rich kids like the ones that made up most of their school.

“When I told my parents I was pregnant, they weren’t happy obviously, but my Dad is big on making sure family is taken care of no matter the situation. I hid it for as long as I could and when I couldn’t anymore, he pulled me out and I did home school for awhile.”

Arizona just waited, letting Callie tell her everything at her own pace. She wasn’t about to push the girl into telling her anything she didn’t willingly give her. She cared about the other girl too much and she didn’t want to do anything that might push her away.

“Turned out to be a good thing, because at 30 weeks, for no reason they could find, I went into labor. They managed to stop it, but about eight days later it happened again and this time my water broke. There was no stopping that time.”

“Wow,” was all Arizona could manage to say. She couldn’t believe Callie had been through all of that, pregnant in high school, having a preemie. That wasn’t an easy thing to deal with. One of her older cousins had a six-week preemie last year and it was really hard on her cousin.

“I think Amelia just wanted us to be kids together,” Callie joked. “Had she waited until her due date I would have turned 18 the week before. Instead we spent a full two months as kids together.”

Arizona could see how much the young mother loved her daughter. It was really an amazing thing to see. “She’s lucky to have you,” she said sincerely.

“You know, you hear of all these teens that agonize over their options, not knowing what to do. It wasn’t like that for me. I never once considered not keeping her. She was mine. The weeks she spent in the hospital sucked, but the day I got to bring her home was the best day of my life.”

Arizona relaxed back against the couch, just enjoying the look on Callie’s face as she talked about her little girl. Her smile lit up the room. Callie, the friend, was awesome, but Callie, the mom, was simply amazing. Arizona didn’t think anything could possibly compare.

“The reason I left your house so quick that night was because Sandra called to tell me Amelia was running a high fever. You always worry with a preemie about any illness. Luckily it wasn’t anything serious. Sandra’s not just a regular nanny. She’s also a Registered Nurse. Only the best for Carlos Torres’ granddaughter,” Callie joked. “She lives here at the house so that she’s here if we need her. But she’s mostly only on duty when I’m at school. Other than that, I go between getting my school work done and taking care of her. I want my daughter to know that I’m her mom.”

See, simply amazing, Arizona thought to herself for about the millionth time. “You’re amazing.” Crap did she just say that out loud? By the smile on Callie’s face, she sure did.

“Calliope, dinner is almost ready. Is your friend staying?” A male voice called from the hallway. Arizona thought she recognized the voice from the times it interrupted their phone conversations. Callie looked at Arizona for an answer and was rewarded with a nod. “Yes, she is,” Callie yelled back.

“So, Calliope huh?” Arizona teased, causing the other girl to groan.

“Yes, but only my dad calls me that.”

“I kind of like it. It’s musical like your voice,” Arizona really should just put her foot in her mouth already.

“Um, thanks, I think,” Callie said, mulling it over. Her full name didn’t sound so bad rolling off Arizona’s tongue. “Let me warn you now, since you’re staying for dinner. Don’t take anything my mother says personally. It’s all about me. While my dad has taken this whole thing and rolled with it, my mother hasn’t. She was raised strict Catholic and hates that I have a baby out of wedlock.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep, we don’t have much of a relationship these days. She barely looks at Amelia, much less tries to make any kind of connection with her.”

“That’s too bad.” It really was. Arizona wasn’t just saying that. She was already imagining spending time not just with Callie, but with Amelia too.

“Come on, let’s go get her before we head downstairs. She might not eat solid food just yet, but that doesn’t mean she gets excluded from family dinner.” Really Callie just didn’t like the idea of leaving her daughter on a whole different floor for longer than a few minutes. Even with the baby monitor, it made her nervous to be that far away from her.

Arizona followed as Callie led them further down the hallway. The raven haired girl pushed open a partially closed door and led them inside. The room itself was every little girl’s dream room. Pink and purple covered the walls, with all very expensive looking furniture. The crib, dresser, and changing table all matched, made of the same dark wood. The whole room had a Winnie the Pooh theme. Toys littered the shelves and toy bin. A bookcase was filled with dozens of books.

“Looks like some little girl is ready for dinner,” Callie cooed down into the crib, finding her daughter smiling up to her. “That wasn’t a very long nap. You better sleep long tonight. Mommy wouldn’t mind getting more than five hours tonight, preferably together,” she told Amelia in a teasing voice.

“Five hours? How do you manage?” Arizona could barely function if she didn’t get at least a solid six hours.

“You get used to it. When she goes down for the night I’ve usually still got some homework, so I’m up for an hour or two later. She’s getting to where she only wakes up once or twice in the night. But then she’s usually up for good around five in the morning.” She nuzzled her daughter’s hair against her cheek. “She thinks it’s funny cause she gets to take a nap, but Mommy has to go to school and doesn’t get that luxury.”

Not one sentence coming out of Callie’s mouth sounded like a complaint. Instead every bit of it was filled with nothing but absolute love. Arizona couldn’t even imagine what she’d be like if she was in the same situation. Callie took being a mother seriously and loved every minute of it. That was clear.

“Can I hold her?”

“Sure. She’s never been around strangers so I don’t know how she’ll react though.” Callie didn’t want Arizona to be discouraged if Amelia started crying.

“She’ll be fine, won’t you baby?” Arizona asked the little one, adopting the same voice Callie used to talk to her. “We’re going to be good friends, huh kid?” She opened her arms, taking the baby from Callie.

Amelia stared up at Arizona as if she was sizing her down. After a minute she let out a big smile, giggling just a little bit. A trail of drool rolled between her lips as she tried to talk to the woman holding her. “You’re so smart, trying to talk already. Soon you’ll be able too.” Arizona could see why Callie relished being a mom. All it took was taking the baby in her arms and she was already in love.

She looked up at the young mother, watching them both with awe. Yep she was definitely in deep, with both of them.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Other than the few times she’d visited with her older cousin and their children, Arizona couldn’t claim to have much experience with babies. Yet, a fierce need to protect and care for the infant in her arms overtook her. Callie just watched the two with a smile on her face. Apparently nobody could resist her daughter’s charm. She was a Torres after all.

Without saying a word, Callie turned and headed out the door. “Come on, baby girl, looks like we’re following your mom,” Arizona told the cutie in her arms. She tried to keep pace with Callie, but didn’t want to walk too fast, afraid to jostle Amelia too much.

The blonde had always been full of energy. Her parents told her she didn’t learn to walk, she learned to run, and she couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t taken the stairs two at a time. So, for the first time in her life, Arizona was careful as she moved down every step, taking them slowly.

Callie watched from the bottom, with an amused smile. It warmed her heart that Arizona was so careful with her daughter, but at the same time she found it funny that her friend treated the baby like she was made of glass. No sooner had the twosome hit the landing before Callie was off again, heading for the back of the house.

Arizona tried to keep up with Callie, briefly wondering if her friend remembered she wasn’t familiar with the house. “Callie, wait up,” she finally called out when the taller girl turned a corner and she could no longer see her.

“Sorry, I’ll have to give you a tour later. I forget how big this place is to other people. To me it’s just home. The kitchen’s this way,” Callie finished, pointing to the end of the hallway they were currently standing in.

“I figured we’d be eating in the dining room,” Arizona said. She couldn’t imagine that people living in a house this size would be so informal as to eat in the kitchen.

“Oh we are, I just have to make Amelia’s dinner first.”

Now Arizona was confused. “I thought you said she didn’t eat food yet.”

“Well, she can’t eat what we eat, but she get’s nummy baby cereal, don’t ya baby?” Callie asked the baby in a cute voice, leaning down so that she was face-to-face with her daughter. Seeing her mommy caused Amelia to bounce up and down excitedly in Arizona’s arms. “She loves the stuff.”

Callie led them into the kitchen, pulling out a box of Gerber rice cereal and a container of formula. Next she moved to grab a small pink bowl and a bottle. Arizona watched in fascination as her friend easily made a bottle and used some of the formula to make the cereal.

“We just started her on cereal last week. Her doctors wanted to hold off on food for a little while because she’s a preemie. The average is three to four months for full term babies though when they start them on cereal and baby food.”

Callie sure seemed to know her stuff. It wasn’t a surprise to Arizona though. Knowing what she did about Callie, and how much studying the girl did, it wasn’t hard to imagine that she’d learned everything she could about caring for a baby.

It did surprise her that Callie was doing this all on her own though. “Why doesn’t your cook just make her cereal as well?” she asked quietly so the man in question, who was a few feet away, didn’t hear her.

“There are many reasons I do all this, but I won’t go into all that right now. The biggest reason I choose to do it myself is to make sure it’s done right. When they start on fruits and veggies, it’s best to introduce them one at a time so if they have allergies you’ll know which one it is. I want to make sure she doesn’t get green beans when she should be getting peas,” Callie explained.

It made complete sense to Arizona. She had a hard time believing the girl in front of her was only eighteen. Callie spoke with such maturity and wisdom it was hard to believe she wasn’t older and that this was her first child. “You sure know your stuff,” she told her sincerely.

“I did a lot of reading when I was pregnant. Asked my doctor and her’s a lot of questions. Didn’t want to screw this up, ya know?” And Arizona did understand. She couldn’t imagine being a parent in high school, but if she was, she hoped she’d be half the mother Callie was.

Grabbing the bowl and bottle, Callie led them through the far end of the kitchen to the double doors separating them from the dining room. The places were already set and waiting for them on a table that held eight to ten people with ease. One of the chairs had been taken out, however, and set to the side, in its place was a wooden high chair that matched the dining set.

Callie set the items in her hands down on the table, then lifted the high chair’s tray off. Taking her daughter into her arms, she gently sat her down in the chair, making she sure was secure and could sit easily inside it before buckling her in.

“How’s my angel doing today,” a kind looking older gentleman asked upon entering the room. He walked over, running a finger on his granddaughter’s cheek.

“She’s doing good today, no fever or anything,” Callie told her father.

“Good. And who do we have here?” he asked with a look to Arizona.

“Dad, this is my friend Arizona, Arizona, my father, Carlos Torres.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Torres,” Arizona greeted with respect, holding her hand out and giving his a firm shake.

“A firm handshake says a lot about a person,” Carlos stated, already liking Callie’s new friend.

“My father is a Marine, sir,” she told him, knowing that often enough that was enough information for people to understand how she was raised.

“Well then it’s definitely a pleasure to have you in our home,” the elder Torres stated. Callie had brought a lot of friends into this house, a lot of them children of his own friends, but not one of them had shown an ounce of respect the way this Arizona did. He was impressed.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Your mother decided to go to dinner with friends,” Carlos told his daughter. “So it’s just us tonight.

Callie just sighed. On one hand she was grateful that she could enjoy her meal with Arizona without her mother around. On the other she was disappoint that her Lucia Torres had opted once again to avoid spending time with her family. A habit that had become more frequent since Callie announced her pregnancy.

“I’m sorry, mija. I do not understand it myself,” Carlos admitted. He couldn’t understand why his wife was acting this way. He hadn’t wanted this for their daughter either, but it had turned out alright. Calliope clearly loved her daughter and she was a wonderful mother, and still as focused on her studies as she had always been.

“It’s alright, let’s just eat and forget about it,” Callie told him, taking her seat next to her daughter. Taking the bib that was hanging on the back of the high chair, she wrapped it around Amelia’s neck. The young mother began making faces at her baby, trying to get her to open her mouth and take a bite from the spoon.

Arizona took her seat across from the two and watched them both as Callie fed the baby. It was quickly going to become habit to watch the wonder of mother and daughter. As soon as Carlos was seated at the head of the table, the cook began bringing in their meal.

Arizona dived right in, not ever remembering having such a decadent meal before. But when she noticed that Carlos was in no hurry, she realized why. Callie hadn’t moved to even take a bite of her own yet. Maybe it was just that these people ate at a slower pace than her own family did, but Arizona believed it was because Carlos was simply waiting for his daughter.

The babe almost seemed to have a disappointed look on her face when her mother finally sat down the empty bowl on the table. It didn’t last long though. Once Callie wiped her daughter’s face, she pulled her into her lap, settling her so she could help the baby hold her bottle but still eat her own dinner.

“She really does love it,” Arizona observed.

“Yes, she does. The first day I tried giving it to her, she kind of gave me a ‘What the hell, mom? Where’s my bottle?’ look,” Callie started telling the blonde, ignoring the look from her father for swearing. “As soon as I got the first bite in her mouth though she gummed it down. I can’t wait to start giving her fruits and veggies and see her reactions.”

“You were like that as a baby,” Carlos spoke up. “We knew right away what you liked and what you didn’t.”

“Aw,” Arizona said, trying to picture Callie as a baby. She figured she probably didn’t look much different than Amelia, since the baby shared so many of her mother’s features.

Callie on the other hand, just rolled her eyes, really hoping her father wouldn’t get into telling embarrassing stories about when she was a baby. She was grateful when the conversation moved to him asking Arizona what she wanted to study and how her grades are. Typical Carlos, wanting to make sure the people around Callie were as serious about making something of themselves as she was.

Once dinner was over, the two girls made their way back upstairs. “You’re welcome to stay if you want, but for the next hour it’s all about Amelia, isn’t it? It’s mother/daughter playtime,” Callie told her. From the day Amelia came home from the hospital, Callie reserved the hour before bedtime to focus solely on her daughter. Either just sitting and talking to her, or now that she was a little more alert, rolling on the floor, or playing with one of the baby’s toys.

“Is it alright if I play with you?”

“Of course,” Callie smiled.

Mostly Arizona ended up watching, every now and then taking part. At quarter to eight, Callie got them both off of the floor and moved to the changing table. “Will you grab me a onesie out of the second drawer in the dresser?”

“Sure,” Arizona responded, glad to finally have something to do. She grabbed the first one she saw, it was a light pink and said “If You Think I’m Cute, You Should See My Mom.” She definitely had to agree, both girls were beautiful.

“Thanks,” Callie told her, taking the offered article of clothing. “Do you remember where the kitchen is?” Arizona nodded her head, thinking she could find it again. “Will you run down and make her a bottle?”

“Um…”

“It’s easy,” Callie laughed, seeing the look on Arizona’s face. “Just turn on hot water, let it run for ten seconds so it gets warm enough. She likes her milk hot, but not too hot before bed. Fill the bottle to the six ounce mark and then add three scoops of formula.”

“Ten, six, and three. Okay I think I got it.” The blonde tried to reassure herself that she could handle this tiny task as she made her way to the kitchen.

By the time she got back, Amelia was wrapped up in a soft, fuzzy blanket. Callie was sitting in the rocking chair with her, carrying on a conversation with her daughter as if the girl was participating. Arizona had to pause at the door and just take it in. There was no doubt in her mind that she could easily fall deeply in love with Calliope Torres.

She must have made a noise, because Callie looked up and starred at her. The two seemed to have a silent conversation as they looked into each other’s eyes. Finally the younger of the two made her way into the room and handed Callie the bottle. Taking a seat on the floor, she leaned back against the dresser and just watched in silence as Callie began to sing a lullaby to her daughter in Spanish.

“Sweet dreams, mija. Mommy loves you,” Callie whispered to her daughter, placing a kiss on her forehead once the baby was sound asleep. Placing her in her crib, she checked to make sure the monitor was on, before signaling for the two girls to exit the room, shutting the lights off as she did so. A nightlight left enough of a glow to still see the baby on the small screen.

“Now that she’s asleep we can work on your paper,” Callie told her as they entered her room. Arizona had forgotten all about their assignment the second she saw the baby for the first time. “I’ve been hiding her for so long, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But I think I’m finally ready.”

Arizona knew what she was saying. She wasn’t just talking about Arizona finding out about her daughter. If the blonde wrote a paper on Callie becoming a mother, it was possible people would soon find out. Especially if they had to do any kind of reporting to the class, which sounded like that might be the case.

“We can come up with something else if you want,” she offered. She didn’t want Callie to feel as if she had to do this. If Callie didn’t want her to tell anyone about Amelia, then she wouldn’t.

“No, I’m ready. I spent the last week really thinking about. I don’t want my daughter to someday feel like I was ashamed of her and that’s why I hid her. That’s not why I did it.”

“You were trying to protect her, I get it.”

“Yes, I was. I don’t want anything to hurt her, ever. I know I can’t protect her from the world though.” Callie sighed, taking in a deep breath. “You know why I insist on taking care of her? Why I do it all alone when I’m not at school?”

Arizona shook her head, she had a few ideas, but she wasn’t sure if she was right about any of them. “Nannies, cooks, and various other servants raised me. I don’t doubt my parents love me, and I love them. But I don’t have that bond with them that other kids have. Not like what I saw at your house that day I was there. I don’t want the same for my daughter, I want that bond with her that I never had with my parents.”

She thought it before, but she’d think it a million times more. Callie was amazing. She came from a wealthy family, and could easily just hand her child off to servants and live the life of a teenager. Instead she was choosing to be in her child’s life every minute that she could. “You’re amazing.”

“That’s the second time you’ve said that,” Callie smirked.

“Well it’s true.”

After that, the two girls just sat on Callie’s bed while she went into more detail about what it was like being pregnant and having to spend every day in the hospital for eight weeks, not sure if she’d ever get to bring her baby home.

“She had several surgeries in those early days. I was so scared, but she pulled through. She’s my little fighter. I’ve wanted to be a doctor for as long as I could remember. After seeing what I felt were miracles on my baby, I knew then I wanted to be a surgeon. To make that same kind of difference in other people’s lives.”

“You know what day I finally got to bring her home?” Callie asked with the biggest smile on her face. Arizona just shook her head no. “It was my birthday. Definitely the best present I’ve ever gotten.” The emotion in her voice was a testament to how true that statement was.

As Arizona drove back home that night, she felt as if she’d just live through weeks, not just a few short hours. Her entire view of the world had changed in ways she didn’t yet understand. At the very center of it all was a young mother and her very cute baby.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Fingers drummed impatiently on the desk as she waited for the phone to pick up on the other end. “Come on, pick up. I really need to talk to you,” she pleaded.

“Arizona, what’s wrong?” a voice finally spoke out of nowhere.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just needed to talk,” Arizona answered.

“At midnight?”

“It’s not…” looking at the clock, she realized it was 11 and with the time difference it was an hour later. “Sorry, bro. Didn’t realize it was so late.”

“It’s okay. What did you need to talk about?” Tim asked, trying to wake himself up. He had an early morning, but he’d sacrifice sleep for his little sister.

“The fact that Callie has a baby,” the blonde spoke so quickly it took her brother a minute to figure out what she’d said. She hoped Callie wouldn’t mind her telling Tim, but she needed to work through her thoughts with someone.

“Callie, your friend, has a baby. Did I hear that right?”

“Yeah, a five-month old baby. She’s really cute, looks just like Callie,” Arizona couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face when she thought of them both.

“I’m sorry, sis.”

“Thanks. Wait, why are you sorry?”

“Because you liked her.”

Arizona was confused. What was Tim saying? “What does me liking her have to do with anything?”

“She has a kid and you’re just teenagers. Get involved with her and you get involved with her kid too.” He tried to explain. “Plus doesn’t that kinda prove she’s straight?”

“No, not really. Especially how she got pregnant.” She went on to explain to him what her friend had told her. “She’s so cute,” Arizona said again, talking about Amelia. “Even you couldn’t refuse her chubby little cheeks.”

Tim could hear the smile in his sister’s voice and how attached she already was. It worried him some. He really hoped she didn’t get hurt in the long run. “Be careful,” he advised.

“We’re just friends, and if that’s all we ever are I’ll be happy,” she tried to reassure him, trying to make herself believe it as well. Amelia’s existence did lean more towards Callie being straight, or possibly bisexual.

“I know, but still. I’d hate to see you hurt,” Tim told her honestly, bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the conversation. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I promise to be careful. But you should see her with her daughter. She’s an amazing mom. She could possibly give ours a run for her money,” Arizona joked. “She’s not like the other teen parents you see on TV. Amelia comes first.”

“She sounds amazing,” he said, using his sister’s favorite word. He really hoped this Callie didn’t end up breaking Arizona’s heart, because she sounded like the kind of person he’d like to see his sister end up with. Too bad he’d never hit a girl, because if it was a guy that broke his Arizona’s heart, he’d have no trouble beating the shit out of him.

“So what about you? Settling in okay? Meet any girls yet?” Arizona asked him in rapid succession, barely taking a breath. He laughed, loving the energy she always seemed to have. The way they grew up wasn’t easy, but it’d never stopped her from being happy and very hyper at times.

“Yes and no, in order. That’s all you’re going to get, because it’s late and I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Aw, man,” she pouted.

“I’ll call you sometime tomorrow, alright?”

“Fine,” she begrudgingly agreed. Knowing he was right and she probably needed to get to bed as well. She did have school after all. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow though.”

“Night, baby sis.”

“Night, big bro,” she told him, before hitting the end call button. She really missed him being just in the next room. Flopping back on her bed, she sighed, letting the events of the day go through her mind as she drifted into slumber.

**~CA~**

A cry startled Callie out of a deep sleep. She should be used to it by now, but it never failed to make her heart race when her daughter woke her up. Looking at the clock, she saw it was barely four a.m. Groaning, she rolled over to look inside the playpen nestled next to her bed. Tears had already poured down her baby’s cheeks. This was the fourth time tonight she’d woken up, which is why Callie pulled out the portable crib. It was easier than walking to her daughter’s room every hour or so.

Leaning over, she pulled the baby into her arms, holding her tightly to her. Almost instantly Amelia calmed down to just a dull whimper. “What’s a matter, mija?” she asked the infant soothingly. “You’re not wet, you shouldn’t be hungry.” Placing a kiss on her forehead, she laid back and settled the baby on her chest.

Within a minute, Amelia was back to sleep. She tried not to go to sleep with the baby on the bed with her, but maybe this once wouldn’t hurt. She could really use a little bit more sleep. Maybe if she let Amelia stay there on her chest she could get some. It seemed tonight was just one of those nights the baby just needed a little comfort.

The next time she looked at the clock it was almost six and she sighed in relief. Amelia was still snoozing on her chest and for that she was grateful that they’d both managed to get some sleep finally. Although this was going to mess up both of their schedules for the day.

Moving as carefully as possible, she laid her in the crib and moved to the bathroom. Leaving the door open so she could hear if Amelia woke up, she jumped in to take a quick shower. Before Amelia she’d spend a half-hour or more in the shower, she’d now managed to cut that time down to ten minutes or so.

“All right, gorgeous girl, let’s get you ready for the day,” she told the infant, once she was all dressed and ready. Of course Amelia was still half asleep as she changed her diaper and dressed her for the day.

“Come on, sleepy head. You gotta drink your bottle so mommy can get to school on time,” she tried, wiggling the bottle in her daughter’s mouth. She should probably just let Sandra handle her morning bottle, but she hated to do that. It took a few minutes, but she finally latched on and started to drink. She’d have to grab her own breakfast and eat it on the drive to school.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Callie told Mrs. Montgomery as soon as she finally made it to school almost 10 minutes late. She looked around the room, glad there were no other students in the room currently. “Amelia had a bad night last night.”

“It’s alright, Callie,” Addison Montgomery told her honestly, causing the girl to let out a relieved sigh. That was the reason, after all, that she was an office aide first thing in the morning. So that if she was late to school it wouldn’t matter much. It was something the office faculty, Callie, and her father all agreed on before school started.

Actually if her father had his way, she’d still be doing home-school. He tried to get her to stay home, but she argued it was her senior year and she wanted to at least try to enjoy it. Carlos Torres wasn’t a man who usually lost arguments, but he finally relented this time.

The vice-principal smiled at Callie. She’d seen a lot of the girls in this school get pregnant, but none of them had been Callie Torres. She’d always been a favorite of the teachers because of how hard she worked, so when her father came to them about her pregnancy, they all wanted to help her out anyway they could. Every girl deserved the chance to succeed, but they knew the young Torres would take the opportunity and not let the situation be a setback for her.

“How’s she doing?” Addison asked her.

“Other than last night, she’s doing really well. I think she’s starting to show signs of separation anxiety though. I think that’s what her problem was last night.”

“It’s possible,” Addison agreed. She didn’t have children herself, but her own schooling had taught her things about children of all ages. “She’s too little to understand why you’re not there sometimes, and that you’ll always come back.”

“I know, it just makes it hard. I hate seeing her upset,” Callie said, emotion thick within her voice.

“I know you do, sweetie. It’ll get better,” she told the teenager, giving her a pat on the shoulder before moving over to her desk to get some work done.

**~CA~**

“Hey, you made it,” Arizona said, behind Callie’s ear, startling her a little. She had been waiting in their meeting place hoping her friend would show, even though she hadn’t been there that morning.

“Yeah, sorry, we had a bad night,” Callie told her, knowing the blonde would understand. Arizona just nodded, and let Callie lead her to someplace quiet to eat so that they could talk. They’d been eating lunch away from the cafeteria ever since Arizona learned about Amelia, so they could talk more freely.

“You look exhausted,” Arizona observed aloud.

“Yeah, like I said, bad night. Neither of us got much sleep.” Callie leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. She wished she could just go to sleep, but they had one more class and then she’d get home and have to take care of Amelia. “She cried half the night. I think she’s starting to realize I leave her during the day.”

“Awe, my poor baby,” Arizona said sadly, feeling bad for the little girl. She spent the weekend before with Callie and Amelia, just hanging out at the house. She’d enjoyed the time with both of them. Amelia might not be able to do much yet, but that didn’t stop Arizona from having fun playing with her. “Separation anxiety, huh?”

“Yeah, you guessed it,” Callie answered, giving her friend a look, silently asking her how she knew that.

Arizona just smiled, she wasn’t about to admit she’d been reading up on babies in her spare time. Maybe that was going a little too far, but she liked spending time with Amelia and she wanted to be prepared. Not only with babies in general, but preemies as well. She hoped she’d made a friend for life in Callie, so that meant Amelia would be in her life as well.

They finished their lunch mostly in silence, every now and then sharing a thought or two. When the bell finally rang, signaling they needed to head to their next class, Arizona had to practically pry Callie up off of the floor.

Even the energy in psychology class wasn’t enough to keep Callie from wanting to fall asleep. She struggled the whole way through to keep her eyes open. Arizona couldn’t help the worried look that appeared on her face each time she glanced over to see Callie’s eyes had closed again.

Callie knew she must have dozed off when the bell suddenly rang, startling her eyes back open. It felt like she was moving in slow motion as she tried to gather her things back into her backpack. It took more effort than she wanted to admit to get out of the chair.

“Give me your keys,” Arizona told her when they reached her car. She hadn’t even noticed that Arizona had walked with her all the way to her car.

“Why?” the Latina asked, trying not to yawn unsuccessfully.

“That’s why. I’m driving you home so you don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Then I’m going to keep Amelia entertained while you do your homework so you can go to bed when she does.” Callie could hear the conviction in Arizona’s voice, she wasn’t about to be swayed on this.

“What about your homework?” she attempted to argue.

“Fine, we’ll take turns. Don’t argue with me,” the blonde sternly said. Callie needed help, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Now give me your keys,” she ordered, holding her hand out.”

“I know you want to be a good mom, but sometimes you have to accept a little help,” Arizona told her once they were both settled in the car and on the way to the Torres home. “I know you don’t want her to be with Sandra any longer than necessary. That’s why I’m coming home with you. We’ll work together to keep her entertained and she’ll know your there whether I’m playing with her or not.”

Callie had to admit, Arizona was right. Her friend wouldn’t see her as a job and treat her as such. That would be the big difference between leaving her in Arizona’s hands versus Sandra’s. She was worried about this separation anxiety thing, but so long as she was in the same room where Amelia could see her, it should be okay.

“What about your mom? Won’t she worry?” Callie asked, not wanting Arizona to get in trouble for not coming home.

“I sent her a text before class ended.”

“Okay,” Callie finally agreed, knowing Arizona would know she was also agreeing to having a little bit of help.

“Good.”

“Um, Arizona, you passed my street,” Callie pointed out.

“I know, we’re stopping for some coffee first. You need the caffeine.” Callie just smiled, Arizona knew her too well. She had a serious coffee addiction. Giving it up during pregnancy was probably the worst thing she ever experienced.

“Thank you,” Callie told her sincerely.

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what friends are for.”


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

“Arizona, breakfast,” Barbara yelled up the stairs, causing the blonde to groan. She loved her mother and it was nice that she made her breakfast every morning. But there were days she wished she could just be like every other teenager and grab a Pop-Tart as she ran out the door.

She was just about to yell that she was coming when her phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and debated whether she should answer it or not. Couldn’t Callie just tell her whatever it was when they got to school?

“Morning, friend,” she greeted, finally answering just before the call could go to voicemail.

“Hey, sorry to call so early. I just thought I’d tell you that I wouldn’t be at school today.”

“What? Why?” Arizona asked, realizing it came out whinier than she had intended.

“Sandra just called me from her room. I guess she has the flu or something so she can’t be around Amelia,” Callie told her.

“Hold on, let me call you back. Give me like five minutes.” Arizona hung up without giving the other girl a chance to respond. Phone in hand, she tore down the stairs, heading straight for the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom, can you do me a favor, well Callie a favor?”

“Sure, what does she need?” the elder Robbins questioned.

“Can you babysit Amelia while we’re at school?”

The confusion was clear in her eyes as Barbara looked at her daughter. “Who’s Amelia?”

Arizona couldn’t help the sheepish smile that came over her face. She hadn’t gotten around to telling anyone other than Tim about the baby. “She’s Callie’s daughter,” she answered in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Barbara failed to hide the shock she was feeling. “Callie has a baby?” She’d only met the girl once, but her daughter talked about her friend a lot. Nothing even hinted that Callie was a mother.

“Yes, I promise I’ll explain it to you later. Can you watch her today?”

Barbara nodded her head, but stuck a finger out at her daughter. “But you owe me an explanation after school.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Arizona squealed, giving her mom a quick hug. Pulling away, she punched in the speed dial for Callie. “Bring her here, my mom will watch her,” Arizona said before Callie could even bother with a greeting.

“Arizona, I don’t know…” Callie trailed off, not sure she was comfortable with the situation.

“Don’t argue with me. My mom has raised two kids. Amelia will be fine and this way you don’t have to miss classes. We have a test today remember?” Really she didn’t want to spend the day alone, but the test was a good excuse to give Callie.

“Alright, fine, but it’ll be a little while. I have to get her stuff together,” the young mother relented.

“We’ll be waiting,” Arizona promised before disconnecting the call.

It was almost 20 minutes later when Arizona finally heard a car pulling into the driveway. Running out the door, she was surprised to see a black SUV in place of Callie’s normal car, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead she moved to the back door, grabbed Amelia’s diaper bag, and the folded up portable crib, while Callie pulled the baby out, car seat and all.

“Ready for this?” Arizona asked her friend. She knew Callie was likely freaking out a little bit. This would be the first time she left her baby with anyone other than Sandra. The older girl gave her a hesitant nod. “Mom’s in the living room waiting for us. Come on.” Callie just nodded her head again and followed Arizona into the house.

They’d barely made a step inside before Barbara was next to them, looking down at the little girl. “Oh, she’s beautiful, Callie,” she complimented.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Callie said, sitting the car seat down on the couch facing forward. They all watched as Amelia looked around, studying the new surroundings.

“Oh please, none of that ma’am stuff,” Barbara said with a wave of her hand. “Makes me feel old. Besides, you’re a mother too, makes you an equal, way I see it,” she told her with a smile.

Callie smiled back, feeling for only the second time like she wasn’t being judged. The first time was when she told Arizona. Something about the Robbins women. Callie moved to take the port-a-crib out of Arizona’s hand and asked where she should put it up. As she set it up, she quickly went over Amelia’s normal schedule. “If you have any questions, just call my cell,” she told Barbara, handing her a piece of paper with her number on it. “The teachers are aware of my situation so I’m allowed to step out of class for phone calls.”

I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Barbara tried to assure her. She remembered the first time she left Tim with a sitter, she was a nervous wreck and that was only for an hour or two, not a full school day. She knew how Callie was probably feeling right now.

“Alright,” Callie huffed, trying to convince herself it would be fine. Unbuckling Amelia, she lifted her daughter into her arms, and placed a kiss to the top of her head, hugging her close. “You be a good girl, okay? Mommy will be back in a bit,” she promised. Hesitantly she handed the baby over to Barbara.

Amelia, for her part, barely seemed to notice the exchange. She was too busy studying the face of the woman now holding her. Callie knew eventually Amelia would realize she was gone and that’s what worried her. She’d been getting really fussy with Sandra the last week or so and she worried it would be the same with Barbara. She just hoped the older woman would be able to handle her if she did. It gave her a bit of comfort that Barbara had already raised two children, unlike Sandra who had no children.

“Oh, I love you,” Callie told Amelia, placing one last kiss on the baby’s cheek. Turning to Arizona, “alright, let’s go before I change my mind.”

Arizona just laughed and moved to grab her backpack from the floor by the door. When Callie still hesitated, she walked over to her and linked their arms, gently tugging her out the door. “She’ll be fine,” Arizona did her best to assure her. “Now, walk or drive?”

“Probably take the same amount of time, so let’s just walk,” Callie answered, grabbing her own bag out of the car.

“Sounds good to me. What’s with the SUV anyway?” she finally asked.

“It’s mine too,” Callie answered, knowing how that sounded. “I love my car, but it’s not the safest vehicle, so my dad got me the SUV. It’s much safer for Amelia to ride in. I only drive it when I have her.”

Arizona just nodded her head, signaling she understood. The rest of the short walk was made in silence. When they walked through the front doors, Callie pulled her towards the office. The two girls then quickly explained the situation to Mrs. Montgomery.

The vice-principal was only too happy to give Arizona a pass excusing her tardy. She would never claim to have favorites, but if she did, Callie would definitely be one of them. Under different circumstances she could imagine they’d even be friends. So she was happy that Callie had finally made a real friend, instead of the stuck up popular kids she used to hang out with. Especially after all she’d been through.

“See ya after class,” Arizona tells Callie as she makes her way out the door and to her first class.

**~CA~**

Callie couldn’t concentrate. She’d studied hard for this test, but her mind kept wandering to her daughter, wondering how she was doing. Discreetly she checked her phone again to see she had no new calls or messages. Why was this so hard? She left Amelia every day. She was fine, Callie tried to tell herself. If something was wrong, Arizona’s mom would have called her. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she tried to focus again on the test in front of her.

“I think I bombed that test,” Callie told Arizona as they made their way to gym.

“I’m sure you did fine.”

“I don’t know. I know your mom knows what she’s doing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Amelia,” she told her quietly, so as not to be overheard. If news got out, she wouldn’t deny it, but she didn’t mind keeping her secret a little longer. Especially if they did have to do a presentation, it would make Arizona’s paper that much more of a shock.

“One more class before lunch, then you can call and check up on her,” Arizona reminded her. She knew as soon as gym was over Callie would be on the phone. It was interesting how Callie had changed with her the last couple weeks, how she’d let her guard down. She’d gone from showing this badass persona to her friend, to the worried mom. It was cute.

“Sorry if I’m annoying.”

“You could never annoy me, not about this. I may not know what it’s like, but I do understand,” Arizona told her, putting a comforting hand on Callie’s shoulder.

Gym seemed to go about the same as biology had. Most of Callie’s focus was on her daughter. She didn’t think it’d change until she knew for sure that Amelia wasn’t screaming her head off, wondering where her mom was, and who the stranger was that was taking care of her.

They were practicing softball today, and watching Arizona try to catch the ball kept her mind off of things. She burst out laughing when Arizona ducked instead of attempting to catch the latest ball headed her way. “You’re supposed to catch it!” she yelled, teasingly.

“It flew at my head!” the blonde called back in a huff. She really hated sports. Maybe she should have taken weight lifting instead. That class was probably easier and far less embarrassing. But then she wouldn’t be sharing this class with Callie. Damn, that was definitely a catch 22.

She managed to catch the next ball that came her way, only to drop it as she tried to throw it over to the pitcher, causing everyone to laugh. Arizona just groaned in embarrassment, wishing class was over already.

“Torres, go help her would you? Before she fails this class,” Mrs. Drake called.

“Sure thing,” Callie answered, jogging out to the outfield where Arizona was currently positioned. “Girl, no one could claim you fit into the stereotype,” Callie joked when she was next to her friend.

“What does that mean?” Arizona asked curiously, slightly afraid of what Callie meant.

“You know, usually military brats are tough,” she teased quickly. It was half the truth, Callie also meant she didn’t fit the stereotype of a lesbian. Arizona hadn’t actually come out to her, it was just a feeling she got. However, she’d let her friend tell her in her own time.

“Oh, well, I guess that is true,” Arizona said, relieved. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told Callie yet.  She knew it wouldn’t matter, not to Callie. Maybe she was just afraid that she’d say too much if she told her. But looking at Callie, she just knew that it didn’t matter either way.

“Come on, friend, let’s get to lunch,” Callie told her a few minutes later when class finally ended, throwing an arm around her shoulders and giving her a friendly hug.

They changed quickly back into their normal clothes, and made their way to their spot to eat. Callie always had enough food for both of them these days and shared with her friend. That first day when she told Arizona that her mom always packed too much, was a half truth. Their cook fixed up her lunch, under orders from her mom. Callie made sure to tell him later that day to add a little bit more to make sure both girls had plenty.

As soon as they were seated, Callie pulled out her phone and began dialing, leaving Arizona to dish out their lunch.

“Hey, Mrs. Robbins, how is she?” She asked as soon as she heard the call pick up.

“She’s fine, Callie. She’s napping right now. Sleeping like an angel. Now quit your worrying and concentrate on school,” Barbara ordered, disconnecting the call.

“Your mother just hung up on me,” Callie told Arizona in shock.

Arizona laughed, “Yeah, sounds like her.” When she noticed Callie was about to call again, she put her hand over the phone, causing the other girl to look at her. “If there was anything to worry about she wouldn’t have hung up on you. So let’s just eat, alright?”

Callie studied the look in Arizona’s eyes, taking comfort from the younger girl. “Okay, just a one more class right?”

“Right.”

**~CA~**

Arizona had to keep a tight hold on Callie to keep her from running to her house once school was finally over. It really was cute how anxious Callie was to see her daughter. She understood now why the other girl was always in such a hurry to get home every day. Callie never needed to worry about having a bond with her daughter, because it was plain to see their connection ran deep.

Callie moved straight for the side door, remembering Arizona had told her that her mom always kept it unlocked, and entered the kitchen. The room was empty, but sounds could be heard from the living room, so she followed the noise into the other room.

“Ba, ba, ba,” Amelia was jabbering happily to Barbara who was sitting on the couch, holding her in a standing position on her legs.

“You’re so smart, yes you are,” Barbara told the babe.

“She just started making that sound two days ago, her first,” Callie said proudly as she moved to sit next to the twosome.

“Ba, Ba, Ba,” Amelia repeated louder at seeing her Mom, bouncing in Barbara’s lap.

“Hey, baby. Yep, Mommy’s back,” she told her daughter, taking her from the other woman. “I sure missed you. Were you a good girl?” Amelia smiled at her mother, loving the attention.

“She was as good as gold. She got a little bit fussy when I tried to give her the first bottle, but we got through it,” Barbara said in a soft voice, causing the little one to turn her head to look at her.

“Yeah, she’s been going through separation anxiety, I was hoping she wouldn’t be too fussy for you.”

“She was just fine,” Barbara tried to assure the teen mom.

Callie smiled at her friend’s mother. “I can’t thank you enough, Mrs. Robbins,” Callie told her.

“Call me Barbara and nothing to thank me for. I was happy to do it,” she told her daughter’s friend honestly. “I would like to know why I just learned about her this morning, however,” she said pointedly at her daughter, who was still standing in the doorway, watching the scene before her. She didn’t judge Callie in anyway, but Arizona had spent most of her free time over at Callie’s lately, and had to wonder why her daughter hadn’t said anything before now.

“Don’t blame Arizona,” Callie told the elder Robbins. “Not many people know about her. Arizona probably just didn’t say anything out of respect for me. In fact she was the first person outside of those in my house to know about her.”

“I see.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m a bad person,” Callie admitted honestly.

“I don’t think that,” Barbara told her, placing a comforting hand on Callie’s shoulder. “In fact, you seem to be a very good mom.”

“Thank you,” Callie said, looking over to Arizona, having a silent conversation. Arizona just nodded her head to go ahead. So Callie did, starting at the beginning. She told Barbara everything she had told Arizona. The older woman just let her talk at her pace and didn’t interrupt. When she spoke about her parents and their reaction, Barbara realized that Callie was having a conversation with her that she never got to have with her own parents. It hurt her heart to think this amazing young lady didn’t have that kind of relationship with her own parents. It also helped her see why Callie was so worried about her own child.

“You, dear, are doing an amazing job with this little one,” Barbara told her honestly when Callie finished her story. “And if you ever need a sitter again, feel free to call me,” she said with a smile. “I enjoyed having her today.”

“I will,” Callie promised.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Instead of leaving right away, Callie decided that her and Amelia would stay for a little while. Callie and Arizona moved with Amelia into the kitchen so they could spread out and work on their homework together. It had become habit in the last week or so for them to get their homework done and pass the baby back and forth between them to make sure she received plenty of attention.

As Barbara worked to prepare dinner, she also took a few turns with the little one, but mostly she just watched in amazement at how the two girls seemed to be in sync. She realized this probably wasn’t the first time they’d worked together in such a way. But it was more than that, it was almost as if one could sense what the other was about to do. It was also very clear to her that her daughter wasn’t only enamored with Callie, but with her child as well.

“Callie, are you going to stay for dinner?” the elder Robbins asked, breaking the flow of conversation between the two girls.

“I don’t know,” Callie answered hesitantly. “I don’t want to mess with Amelia’s schedule to much.” Barbara nodded her head in understanding, while Arizona could barely hide the look of disappointment on her face.

“Couldn’t you just stay for dinner?” Arizona pouted. “Just head home right after? Please,” she whined.

Callie laughed, “Alright, fine, we’ll stay. But I need to leave early enough to spend a little time with her before bed.”

“Of course,” Arizona said, as if it was obvious. “Wouldn’t want you to miss out on mother/daughter bonding time. Would we Amelia?” she finished her sentence by tickling the little girl who was currently sitting on her mom’s legs, earning her a laugh.

Apparently the attachment went both ways, Barbara thought to herself. Amelia seemed to love Arizona as much as Arizona loved her. “We’ll have you home plenty early,” she promised Callie. “Dinner is ready, we’re just waiting on Arizona’s dad.”

“In that case, I better get Amelia’s dinner ready,” Callie said, moving to hand the baby over to Arizona.

“I can make it,” Barbara offered, not wanting to make Callie move.

“No, thank you,” the Latina declined, moving to the diaper bag to pull the baby cereal out.

“Callie likes doing everything herself,” Arizona informed her mother. “She doesn’t accept help easily.” This statement earned a glare from the topic of conversation.

“Hey, I let you come over and help didn’t I?”

“Only after I forced you to give me your keys,” Arizona reminds her.

“But,” Callie said pointedly, “I’ve let you come over every day since.” Callie had her there. In the last week or so it had quickly become habit for the two to head straight to Callie’s right after school.

“Well, what do we have here?” a male voice asks, stopping the bantering between the two girls.

“Hey, Dad,” Arizona greeted, getting up and giving him an awkward hug with the baby still in her arms. “This is my friend, Callie,” she introduced, while pointing at her friend. “And this cutie is Amelia, Callie’s daughter.” She took the baby’s hand in her own and helped her give a small wave.

Daniel exchanged a look with his wife, silently asking so many questions. Barbara only gave a smile and a slight nod of her head. After so many years of marriage, that was all that was needed for him to understand. Leaning down so he was face-to-face with the baby, he took her small hand and gave her a smile. “Hello there,” he told her, getting a gummy grin.

Standing back up, he moved over to where Callie was standing behind the counter and held out his hand. “Colonel Daniel Robbins, United States Marine Corp.”

Taking his hand, she gave him a firm shake. “Calliope Torres, high school and mother,” she introduced herself, adopting the same serious tone he’d just spoke to her in.

“I like you,” Daniel stated simply, earning a smile from Callie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too, sir.” The young mother breathed a sigh of relief. Arizona had told her that if she ever met her dad that he would likely try to intimidate her. “Show no fear,” the blonde had told her. It seemed she was right.

“Alright, now that everyone knows who everyone else is, let’s eat,” Arizona said in a teasing voice. She was hoping to save Callie from the inquisition that was coming. One that was far worse than the one she’d endured with Carlos Torres.

“I thought we’d eat in the dining room today, since the girls seem to have every inch of the table covered in here,” Barbara teased.

Callie couldn’t help but take notice of the difference between her own home and this one. They wouldn’t think of being so informal as to eat in the kitchen, but here, the dining room was more for special occasions. She liked it.

Walking into the dining room, she was surprised when she found a highchair waiting at the table. Arizona seemed to be surprised as well. “I pulled this out of the attic when Amelia was taking her nap this morning, figured it’d come in handy to feed her lunch. And I was kind of hoping you’d agree to stay for dinner as well,” Barbara told Callie.

“I didn’t even know we still had this,” Arizona said.

“We may move a lot dear, but there are some things a mom doesn’t want to let go of. The crib you and Tim used is up there too.”

“Packrat,” Arizona teased her mother.

“You really didn’t have to go to all that trouble,” Callie finally spoke up, but hating that she broke up the banter between the two Robbins women. She loved watching Arizona and her mother interact. It was what she hoped to have with her own daughter. It also made her a little sad to think about the relationship with her own mother.

“It was no trouble. I hope that you’ll visit more often, the both of you,” Barbara told her pointedly.

“We will,” Callie promised with a smile.

Arizona moved to place the baby down in the chair. “No,” Arizona told Callie, when she went to sit down in the chair next Amelia. “You go sit over there,” she pointed to the other side of the table.

“But…”

“No buts. I’m feeding her today so you can eat a hot meal for once.”

“Arizona,” Callie started to object.

“Nope, I won’t hear it. This is my house, you’re the guest. Go.”

Callie tried again to sit down, but Arizona beat her to it. The two girls locked eyes and Arizona tilted her head towards the chair on the other side. With a huff, Callie finally gave in and moved around to the other side and sat down.

They didn’t have anything to compare it to, since their daughter had never brought home a friend before, but Barbara and Daniel could see there was something strong between the two girls. Both were extremely stubborn, that much was obvious, but Arizona seemed to push Callie around a lot easier than she should be able to. It gave Daniel a sense of peace, knowing that settling down here was probably the best idea he could have had. There was a light in his child’s eyes that had never been there before.

As predicted, Callie was questioned endlessly on her life and ambitions. She impressed both parents with her goals for the future. It seemed that being a mother wasn’t going to stop her from getting what she wanted. In fact it only increased her need to make a good life for them both.

“I hope, someday, to be able to provide for both of us. I hate depending so much on my father, but knowing it’s temporary makes me feel better about it.”

“You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. You’ll do fine,” Daniel told her, impressed by this young girl.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Enough with the sir stuff. Please, call me Daniel.”

Arizona almost dropped her fork back to the plate with that. Her father didn’t let just anybody call him by his first name. Giving a quick glance to her mother, she knew she wasn’t the only one that was slightly shocked at her father’s words.

“Oh, you two,” Daniel said, catching the silent exchange between his wife and daughter. “It’s not like nobody ever calls me Daniel.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Arizona agrees. “Mom calls you that all the time,” she deadpans.

“Callie, ignore these two. They seem to think I’m making you a special case.”

Callie sees the smile on Arizona’s face and on Barbara’s and notices that it’s probably the truth. It made her feel good to know she’d been accepted by Arizona’s father. “I shall do just that, Daniel,” she says, playing into the conversation.

After that, the conversation was of a lighter and more joking tone. “Let me see that baby,” Daniel said, when Amelia tried to join in on the conversation, make noises and banging a hand on the table.

Arizona passed Amelia over to her father without hesitation. He held her up in the air, studying her closely. Amelia gave him a smile, drool rolling down her chin. “You’re going to be a handful,” he concluded finally, sitting her down on his lap and wiping her mouth with a napkin. “If she’s anything like Arizona here, you better practice patience,” he advised Callie teasingly.

“Hey! I’m an angel,” Arizona tried to defend herself.

Callie, however, had pretty much stopped listening to the words flying around her. Instead, she watched the ease with which Daniel took to her daughter. And Amelia seemed to relish all the attention she was getting today. Something she only really got from Callie and recently Arizona. She knew Sandra was a good nanny, but there was no real affection in the way she cared for her daughter.

She was almost sad to have to leave. She loved her one-on-one time with Amelia, but there was a feeling of belonging here, for both of them, that she didn’t feel at home. Getting up, she started gathering her daughters stuff and putting it back in her diaper bag. “Sorry, but we better go.”

“Yes, of course,” Barbara replied, taking Amelia from her husband and giving her a loving hug. “Get this little girl home to bed, she’s getting tired.” As if to prove her point, Amelia’s eyes started to droop.

“You get her in her carseat, and I’ll get the rest of her stuff together,” Arizona offered.

Callie nodded her head. Moving to stand next to Barbara, she held her arms out and Amelia quickly fell into them. “My baby is definitely tired,” she said in a soft voice as her daughter curled into her chest. “She’s had a long day.”

“If your nanny isn’t feeling better, feel free to bring her back tomorrow,” Barbara offered just as Callie moved with Amelia to the door.

“Thank you, I might have to, I don’t want to risk her getting sick.”

“Yes, never good for a preemie like her. I know firsthand how crucial it can be to prevent illness.” Callie gave Barbara a questioning look. “Apparently Arizona didn’t mention I was a nurse in the pediatric and neonatal wards of the hospital before I was a stay-at-home mom.”

Callie just shook her head no, both women giving Arizona a look. “I forgot,” Arizona told them. “It’s not like you ever worked after I was born,” she reasoned.

“It would have made me feel a lot better about today to know that,” Callie said pointedly, trying not to let Arizona see she didn’t really mean it.

“I’m sorry,” Arizona apologized.

“Apology accepted,” Callie smiled a grin that let Arizona know she was just kidding.

The blonde stuck her tongue out at her friend. “You’re mean.”

“But you love me anyway.”

How true that statement was, was all Arizona could think. Instead of answering, she walked out the door and started loading Amelia’s things into the car. Callie exchanged a wink with Barbara, both laughing at how easy it was to get Arizona to pout. Following Arizona finally, she loaded her daughter in the car and said her goodbyes.

**~CA~**

“Where have you been?” Carlos demanded as soon as Callie stepped in the door with Amelia.

Callie glared at her father, not wanting to deal with him right now. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was at Arizona’s.”

“Not my business?” Carlos questioned angrily. “You are my daughter, how is that not my business? My high school aged daughter.”

“Your daughter who is also 18 and a mother herself. I don’t feel I need to inform you of everything little thing I do.” She loved her father, she really did. He had done a lot to help her get through this whole situation. But to some degree, he was far too controlling.

“I didn’t know what to think when I came home. Sandra informed me she was sick, but you and Amelia were nowhere to be found and no one had seen you all day.”

“Once again, not necessarily your business, but Arizona’s mom offered to baby-sit so I could go to school. Then we stayed to work on homework and have dinner.” She just wanted to go up and get Amelia ready for bed and spend some time with her. She didn’t really want to have this conversation.

“It’s my business because I pay for everything,” he reminded her, as if that explained everything.

Callie just sighed, sitting the carseat down on the floor and pulling Amelia, who had started to fuss, into her arms. “Yes, because money is everything,” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

She stood and looked him square in the eye. “Yes, you pay for everything, and you ask how she’s doing. But when have you actually played with her, or even held her for that matter?” It was a thought that wouldn’t leave her mind ever since Daniel asked to hold her earlier tonight.

Carlos took a step back, thinking about it. “I’ve held her.”

“Last time was at the hospital, right before she came home. And that was only because one of the nurses handed her to you so I could sign her discharge papers.” She was right, he knew she was right. “You act like she’s important to you. You pay for a nanny for her, and buy her things. But just like with me, that’s as far as it goes.”

At this point, her alone time with Amelia was dwindling. It made her sad, but she knew Amelia couldn’t last much longer. Without explanation she started walking towards the kitchen.

“Don’t walk away from me, Calliope,” her father yelled at her retreating back.

“Not everything is about you,” she called back. “I need to make MY daughter a bottle so she can eat before she falls asleep.” She really hoped that would be the end of it. With skill she’d gained over time, she quickly made up a bottle with one hand and held it to her baby’s mouth as she moved to walk to Amelia’s room.

She was rocking softly in the rocking chair when the door opened. “What did you mean by all that?” her father asked quietly so as not to disturb his granddaughter.

Callie sighed, knowing he wouldn’t give up until he had all of his answers. “You know why I liked being at Arizona’s tonight? Because nothing that happened involved money. And I got to see everything I missed out on.”

“What have you missed out on? I’ve given you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Everything, but the one thing I needed,” she told him honestly. “Your affection,” she answered the question in his eyes. “I know you love me, but it’s not the same. At Arizona’s tonight I could see the difference. Her parents teased her, and she teased right back. They gave each other hugs, and gentle touches. And they included me in that, and Amelia. Even Daniel, her father, asked to hold Amelia and played with her. A virtual stranger, played with her, when her own grandfather never has.” It was taking everything in her not to yell all of this at him.

“He’s a Colonel in the Marines. He’s a tough guy, a soldier. Yet, when he held her, it was only with tenderness,” she continued sadly. Pulling the bottle out of Amelia’s mouth and placing it on the floor, she moved the baby onto her shoulder, slowly patting her back, trying to get her to give a quick burp before she conked out for the night.

“Did you ever do this for me?” she asks, taking her hand away from her daughter to give a point, showing what she meant. “No, one of the nannies did. Are you seeing the difference yet?”

Carlos had the decency to look ashamed. “That’s why I didn’t bother to tell you where I was tonight. You didn’t raise me. You paid someone else to do it. I may still be in high school, but I have my own child now.”

“I’m sorry Calliope,” he told her sincerely.

Callie gave him a sad smile, telling him silently that it was a start. “Now, I’m not saying I’ll tell you every little thing I do, but I’ll try and keep you more informed. Only if you promise not to get angry about the things you don’t know,” she tried to compromise.

“I think that’s acceptable,” he agreed. “I’ll try harder to be more involved too. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t until he’d left the room before she let out a relieved breath. She rocked for a few minutes, finally getting the sought out burp. Kissing her baby on the forehead, she laid her down in her crib. “Sleep well, mija. I love you.”


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Arizona stood outside long after Callie’s car turned off of her street. She didn’t want to go back inside, didn’t want the day to be over. Having Callie and Amelia over felt good. Not that she minded spending time at the Torres’, it was just a different feeling.

Sitting down on the top step of the porch stairs, elbows sat themselves on slender knees and hands held her head in place as she sighed. Not even gone ten minutes and already she missed Callie. It would figure that the first time she made a friend she couldn’t just stop at friendship. Callie was special, that much she knew. She’d never met anyone like the other girl. Callie was amazing, and everything Arizona could see herself loving.

“I was starting to wonder about you,” a voice spoke from behind her, pushing her out of her train of thought. “You’ve been out here a while, and I heard Callie’s car pull off long ago,” Barbara told her.

“I was just thinking,” Arizona admitted.

“About Callie,” her mother said more than asked.

“And Amelia,” Arizona smiled, telling her mom it had been mostly about Callie.

Barbara took a seat next to her daughter, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulder and pulling her close. “Why didn’t you tell me Callie had a baby?” she asked without accusation. She was simply curious.

“I don’t know,” Arizona shrugged. “I guess I just didn’t think it mattered. She’s still the same person she was before I knew she was a mother.”

“I raised an amazing daughter,” Barbara said softly, a giant smile on her face. “Callie is lucky to have a friend like you.”

“I’m the lucky one,” the girl said honestly. “I’m in such awe watching her with Amelia. I could just watch the two of them for hours.”

“Which brings me to the next conversation I wanted to have with you.”

“What’s that?”

“Your feelings for her, for both of them.”

“Mom,” Arizona groaned, not wanting to have this conversation with her mother. Then again, she didn’t have any friends other than Callie and Tim. Her mother could give her a perspective Tim never could. “She’s the best friend I’ve ever had,” she started slowly.

“But she’s more than that,” Barbara pointed out, remembering an earlier conversation they’d had.

“I think that’s all we’ll ever be,” the teen said sadly.  “I’d rather have her as just a friend than not at all.” She meant that too. Having Callie in her life was important to her, no matter the role she actually played.

“But you haven’t talked to her about being more.” She didn’t need to ask, Barbara knew it was the truth.

“Of course not,” Arizona spoke with a hint of fear.

“Why not?”

“So many reasons,” she paused, trying to organize her thoughts. “Afraid to ruin our friendship. Not sure if she thinks about girls that way. Her family is strict Catholic so I’m not even really sure what her views are on the subject,” Arizona listed off. She had a feeling that it wouldn’t matter to Callie, even if she didn’t feel the same, but there was always that fear of being rejected for being who she was.

Barbara felt sad for her daughter. That she had to feel this fear just for being who she was. Fear of being rejected by those she loved. “Sweetie, Callie loves you, that much is clear. Whether it’s just friendship, or more, I don’t know.”

Arizona laid her head on her mother’s shoulder, snuggling closer. “I love her, Mom. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“I don’t know either. But I don’t think you’ll lose her friendship if you tell her and she doesn’t feel the same.”

“I’ll think about it,” Arizona said quietly before getting up and walking into the house.

**~CA~**

After laying Amelia down for the night, Callie took the baby monitor and walked down the stairs towards the “servant’s quarters” as that section of the house was formally called. She hated that term though.

After a quick conversation with Sandra, she headed back to her room, pulling up Arizona’s number as she did.

“Hey, sorry to bug you. Do you think your mom will mind watching Amelia again tomorrow?” she asked as soon as Arizona answered her call. This earned her a hard laugh from her blonde friend. “What’s so funny?”

“You asking if my mom would mind.”

“Why is that funny?” Callie was missing something, because she certainly wasn’t getting the joke.

“As soon as you left my mom made my dad go up and pull down the crib. Said it wasn’t fair to make you drag the play pen back and forth.”

“Oh.” Callie smiled at the thought. Barbara was apparently already expecting them back tomorrow.

“Yeah, she just ran to the store to buy new bedding for it.”

“She didn’t have to do that,” Callie said. “Tell her I’ll pay her for it tomorrow, and for watching Amelia.”

“She’ll never take your money,” Arizona told her seriously.

Callie let out a huff, knowing that was the truth. She hadn’t known Barbara long, but already she knew she was a kind, caring woman. “But I couldn’t take advantage of her like that.”

“Honestly, Calliope, I think she enjoyed having Amelia today. Now that Tim’s gone and I don’t need her as much, being a stay-at-home mom isn’t what it used to be for her.”

Callie was so busy smiling about Barbara enjoying her time with her daughter, she almost missed Arizona calling her Calliope. She seriously considered telling Arizona not to use her full name, but then thought better about it. The name sounded beautiful coming out of the blonde’s mouth. “Alright, fine. I’ll just find some other way to repay her,” Callie promised.

Arizona just laughed. “You do that. Won’t be easy, that woman is stubborn.”

The two girls talked for a little while longer, making it hard to believe they’d just spent most of the day together. You would think there wasn’t much left to tell each other, but even when the silence did befall them, it wasn’t long before one of them would come up with something to fill it with.

Initially, Callie debated telling her friend about her argument with her dad earlier that night, but what were friends for if not to share things with. She’d never really given her life much thought, but since finding out she was pregnant and feeling that life within her, she started to resent her parents for their lack of involvement in her life. She’d let it bottle up, telling no one, but today she just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I better get to bed,” she finally said as the conversation wound down.  “Amelia will surely be up soon for a bottle and I’d like to get as much sleep as possible.”

“Of course,” Arizona agreed. “You have a goodnight.”

“You too. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. I’ll be prepared so we’re not late again,” Callie promised.

“Looking forward to it.”

“Goodnight, Arizona.”

“Goodnight… Calliope.”

Ending the call, Callie moved to her nightstand and plugged in her phone to charge. She quickly changed into pajamas and crawled into bed. Long after the lights were turned off she couldn’t get the conversation with her father off of her mind.

She couldn’t understand how her parents could love her, and not want to spend time with her. It just didn’t make any sense to her. She wished she could spend every moment with Amelia. She had to finish school and eventually go to college to make a life for them, but she’d never sacrifice more time than was necessary.

No matter how horrible her day was, one smile from her daughter and it was instantly better. The smell of the baby’s hair and the feel of her in her arms reminded her of the miracle of life. She wouldn’t change her life now for anything in the world.

She tossed and turned for over an hour, her mind too busy to allow her to sleep. When a cry came over the monitor, she was almost grateful she had a reason to get up. Walking down the hall, she went straight to Amelia’s crib, smiling down at her baby, who smiled right back, no sign of tears. “You knew Mommy was coming didn’t you, smart girl?”

Lifting her daughter, she gave her a kiss on the forehead before settling her in her arms. Changing her diaper quickly, she moved with the baby back into her own room. She needed Amelia more than Amelia needed her tonight. A bottle was already prepped and waiting on her dresser, next to the bottle warmer she’d moved there earlier that night. Somehow, she just knew she was going to want to keep the baby close to her.

Once it was heated to the desired temperature, she sat back on the bed, settling Amelia in her arms to eat. “I remember the day you were born. Scariest day of my life. Yes it was,” she said in a soft voice, as if she was telling her daughter a bedtime story.

“You weren’t supposed to come yet, but you were determined. All the doctors tried to stop it, but you didn’t let them. Then you came and they rushed you away, and I screamed because I thought I’d never get to see you. You spent seven months resting under my heart, and if I lost you, I knew I’d never recover.”

Doctors and nurses spent over an hour trying to calm her down, but they didn’t let her do the one thing that would have done just that. Let her see her daughter. “You were an hour old before I even knew you were a girl,” she continued the story. “They probably mentioned it sometime shortly after you were born, but I was too worried to hear it until I was calmer.” She paused, remembering back to her pregnancy. “I wanted you to be a surprise, so I never let them tell me during my ultrasounds. I would have loved you if you were a boy, but I was really happy to have a little girl.”

Amelia seemed to be watching her mouth move as she talked, listening to every word. “You’re too busy listening to mommy to even drink your bottle, silly girl. Guess you’re not that hungry.” She pulled the bottle out of Amelia’s mouth gently and put it on the nightstand. Moving a pillow to one side of her bed, she laid her daughter down next to it, and rolled to her side so she was facing her. “I’m so glad you’re not a Binky kid, just don’t be a thumb sucker and we’ll be good,” she teased.

“Back to the story,” she whispered, lost again to the memories.

_“Miss Torres, you need to calm down,” one of the nurses said for about the millionth time._

_“Let me see my daughter,” she screamed back._

_“You can’t right now.”_

_“Why the hell not?!” Callie ground out._

_“Miss Torres,” another voice spoke up from the doorway. In walked a short black woman and a tall blonde that she’d never seen before. “I’m Dr. Bailey a pediatric surgeon and this is Dr. Altman, head of cardiothoracics, we’ve been assigned to your daughter’s case.”_

_“Case, what case? I don’t understand,” Callie responded. Really not liking Dr. Bailey had introduced them as surgeons. That didn’t sound good at all._

_The two doctors made their way over to Callie, Dr. Bailey taking a seat on her bed and squeezing her hand gently. “Your baby is alive, and she’s stable. But we need to prepare you. She has a condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus, it’s a heart condition that’s common in premature babies. We’re going to treat it with a drug, but if that doesn’t work, we’ll have to perform surgery.”_

_“Surgery?! But she’s not even a day old,” Callie was totally freaking out now. “She’s not even a couple of hours old.” She was on the verge of hyperventilating. “I want to see her!”_

_“I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now,” Dr. Altman tried to say calmly._

_“You’re telling me she may need surgery. She has a heart condition. How is that not a good idea? She’s my daughter, and she needs to know her mommy is here for her.”_

_Dr. Altman didn’t seem likely to budge, but she could see Dr. Bailey was considering it. “Do you have children Dr. Bailey?”_

_“Yes, I have a son.”_

_“And if you were me?”_

_“I’d want to see him too,” she admitted._

“I couldn’t hold you then. But I held your hand, and you wrapped your tiny hand around my finger. You were my little fighter,” Callie continued the story to the passed out infant. The drugs didn’t work, and the doctors did have to perform surgery.

The days following were the hardest of Callie’s life. Amelia coded on the table, and they weren’t sure of the damage done trying to revive her. She sat by her daughter’s incubator, rubbing her tiny little body gently, praying for her to be okay.

“And you were. One day, you just opened your eyes and looked right at me, and I knew everything would be okay,” she smiled down at the sleeping baby. Finished with her story, she knew it was only the first of many times she’d tell her that story.

The minute she first laid eyes on daughter, she knew what life was all about. “You are my angel baby. Sleep well, my daughter,” she whispered finally, placing a kiss in the baby’s hair. Her eyes only leaving the girl’s face once she was sound asleep herself.

**~CA~**

Maybe mom is right, Arizona thought to herself as she laid in bed, trying to go to sleep. At the very least maybe she should just come out to Callie and see how she reacts. It would at least be a start right? It really was stupid to have kept that information from her friend for so long.

Then again they didn’t exactly sit around and talk about their crushes like most teenage girls. It simply just hadn’t come up. Their conversations always centered around important things like school work, their goals, their mutual desire to be doctors. They’d even had a conversation or two about getting into the same college and med school.

She couldn’t keep the fact she was gay hidden from Callie indefinitely. So why hadn’t she told her yet? She couldn’t really be that worried that Callie would reject her. The other girl wasn’t like that. She should just tell her. Now. While she had the courage.

Grabbing her phone off if the bedside table, she unlocked it and smiled at her wallpaper. It was a picture of Callie and Amelia that she’d taken when Callie was too busy talking to her daughter to notice Arizona had taken it.

Pulling up her contacts, she scrolled to Callie’s number. Her finger hesitated over pressing the call button. She hit the button fast. Catching the time on her alarm clock in the corner of her eye as she did so, she hit the end call button before the call could go through.

She wasn’t about to wake up her friend, even if she did have the nerve right now. The young mother needed all the sleep she could get. She would just have to keep her resolve. Tomorrow. She’d tell her tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

“I want to talk to you about something,” Arizona told Callie as they walked to school the next day. Leaving the baby had been much easier this time around, but Arizona had still had to drag her out of the house. It was cute really. She wondered how Callie ever left her in Sandra’s hands.

“Okay, shoot.”

“Oh, I don’t mean now, like after school,” Arizona explained. “Just sometime after we get back to my house today I’d like to talk to you. I’m telling you now so that we both make sure we have that talk.”

“Alright,” Callie said, nodding her head. She had a feeling she knew what Arizona wanted to talk about. She couldn’t wait for school to be over now so that she could know for sure.

When the bell rang the two friends parted ways reluctantly. It sucked having to wait until lunch to see each other again.

When she entered the office, Callie checked in with Mrs. Montgomery. The two chatted for a few minutes like friends. The teenager really hoped they gave Mrs. Montgomery the position of Principle next year. She did most of the job anyway, it was rare you ever saw the current principle these days.

When the bell over the door rang, Callie moved to her spot behind the front desk. Her only real job as an office aide was to greet students and figure out what they needed, such as late passes, or get a member of administration if need be. Mostly she was left with a lot of free time to study.

At least today she was able to spend less time worrying about Amelia. In fact her baby seemed happier today, she even let out a squeal when they got to Arizona’s house and saw both Robbins women. And knowing, now, that Barbara had some medical knowledge eased her mind some. Although she hadn’t worked in almost 20 years, Arizona told Callie that her mom occasionally read medical journals and took classes in case she ever decided to go back to nursing.

Callie was never so glad to have the bell ring several hours later, signaling lunchtime. Her classes had seemed to drag on for far too long. She hoped Arizona remembered to grab their lunch out of her locker as she made her way towards their spot. Arizona’s third period class on ‘A’ days, was closer to both their spot and Callie’s locker, but every now and then the blonde would forget to stop and grab it.

“What do we have today?” Callie asked when she rounded the corner and noticed Arizona already opening the bag.

“Looks like enchiladas, yummy,” Arizona responded, licking her lips.

“Great. Hand them to me and I’ll run to the office,” Callie groaned. She kept trying to convince Mr. Buckley, their cook, not to pack things that needed reheating, but the man didn’t listen. Thankfully, Mrs. Montgomery had a microwave in her office and told them they could use it whenever they needed to.

She was back a few minutes later with nice, hot enchiladas. Taking her seat next to Arizona, she sat the dish between them, taking the fork Arizona offered her and diving in. “Mmm these are so good,” Arizona groaned in pleasure.

“So want to tell me what you wanted to talk about?” Callie tried, hoping Arizona was so out of it, she’d just tell her. It had been on her mind all day, and she really didn’t want to wait until after school to find out.

“Nope, even though we’re pretty much alone, I still don’t want to do it here,” Arizona said without missing a beat.

“Alright fine. You just better hope psychology is entertaining enough. It’s driving me crazy, this suspense,” Callie replied honestly, with a bit of a pout, hoping to get Arizona to give in.

Holding her fork to point at Callie, “You’ll just have to wait, sorry.”

“Grr,” Callie mumbled, before diving in for her next bite. The next two hours better fly by.

**~CA~**

“Alright class, listen up,” Mrs. Calloway clapped her hands, trying to pull the 30 or so student’s attention her way. “As you know the term is almost up so I hope you all have your papers just about done.” This got a groan out of a majority of the class. Callie and Arizona just shared a smile, knowing they were both ready for whatever came next.

“I know, I know. Writing a paper is hard,” the teacher said with sympathy. “Which is why I’m going to offer you a choice.” This drew everyone’s attention her way. “I see I have you all intrigued now.” She strode around her desk, leaned back so she rested on it, and faced her students. “I still want to read your papers, but I’m not looking for award winning essays, it’s simply to see what you’ve learned. However, I do want you to come up with an acceptable presentation for the class.”

Mrs. Calloway laughed as this earned another round of groans. They all knew this was likely coming, but since she hadn’t mentioned it yet, they still had hope. The teacher had just crushed that. “Poor you,” she mock sympathized. This was why she was one of the favored teachers in the school, she teased her students and just made the class fun.

“Here’s the choice,” she offered. “You can do an in-class presentation, which I’m sure you know by now how that will go. Or for those of you who don’t like standing in front of an audience, you can make a video to show in class. Both must be between 10 and 15 minutes long. You may do the video however you choose so long as it presents the past, present, and future affects on your partner. Do you all understand?” Everyone nodded their head, already trying to decide which they wanted to do. “If you do decide to do a video and need a camera, Mr. Thompson, who teaches video production, has agreed to reserve some if you need to borrow one. Now I’ll let you spend the rest of class working with your partner.”

Knowing this also gave them free reign of the classroom, Arizona and Callie moved to sit down on the floor in a corner far away from everyone else.

“I definitely like the video idea,” Arizona told Callie quietly once they were seated. “I’ve already got a few ideas about how I could do mine.” Callie had an idea of what Arizona was planning, and just nodded her head in agreement. It was nice they could communicate non-verbally at times. Both instantly knew that nothing else would be said about Arizona’s presentation in class until the due date.

“Me too,” Callie agreed. “I was thinking maybe I could do like an interview segment. Do you think your parents would let me include them too? Help present what it was like for you as a child?”

“Oh you’ll have no problem getting my mom to agree. Not sure about my dad though.”

“Well one parent would be better than none,” Callie said, more to herself than to Arizona.

**~CA~**

When school ended, Arizona had to slow Callie from running home, this time for a different reason. Of course the young mom still wanted to see her daughter, but she wanted to have that talk with Arizona just as bad.

When Callie walked through the side door into the kitchen, she caught a sight that made her smile. Barbara stood at the counter working on dinner, but as she did so, she was singing to Amelia, who was in the highchair with a big smile on her face. Callie was sure if Amelia knew how to clap, she’d be doing it right then.

“Well some little girl is enjoying herself,” Callie said in a laughing tone, moving to stand in her daughter’s line of sight.

“Ba, Ba, Ba,” Amelia squealed, slapping her hands down on the tray.

“One of these days we gotta start working on ma, and mom,” the teenager laughed, lifting her daughter out of the chair and on to her hip. “Did you have fun today?” she asked as if the baby would answer her. In her own way she did, with a drooling smile.

“I saw the stroller in your car, so we went for a walk. I hope you don’t mind,” Barbara told her.

“No, of course not. She doesn’t get outside as much as she probably should,” Callie admitted. She realized then she’d had an idea rolling around in her mind, but now she was sure. “In fact I’d like to talk to you about something later.”

“Alright,” Barbara replied, giving her a questioning look.

“First, Arizona owes me a talk.” Callie turned to look at her friend.

“We’ll be upstairs, Mom.” Arizona just gave a slight nod of her head, when the look her mother gave her clearly asked if they were going to talk about what she thought they were.

“Do you want me to leave Amelia down here?” Callie asked, before moving to follow Arizona out of the room.

“It’s up to you, I don’t mind either way.” Although Arizona had to wonder if Callie would want Amelia there once she said what she had to say.

Callie seemed to sense her friend’s nervousness, however. “Alright, baby. Stay down here with Mrs. Robbins, I’ll be right back,” Callie told her daughter, sitting her back in the highchair.

“We’ll just keep singing,” Barbara assured with a smile.

The two girls made their way upstairs and into Arizona’s bedroom, the blonde leading the way. Once through the door, Callie gave a nod towards the door, silently asking if she wanted it opened or closed.

“Doesn’t matter, my mom already knows what I’m about to tell you.”

“Alright,” Callie said, moving to take a seat on Arizona’s bed. Arizona started to follow her down, but before her body could hit the bed she was up and pacing in front of Callie.

“I don’t know why I haven’t told you before. It almost seems stupid when I think about it. I mean we’re friends right?” Arizona rambled not sure if she was talking to Callie or herself.

“Yeah, best friends, if you really want to label it.” Callie knew she was the first friend Arizona ever really had, but Arizona was a first for her too. She was the first person she’d ever given the title of best friend, and the only person she’d ever really been herself around.

“Right, best friends. And best friends, they tell each other everything, right?” Arizona added the question at the end, almost as if she was unsure, but maybe she was just trying to get her thoughts together.

“I think, generally, they do, yes. Everybody has their secrets,” the older of the two tried to ease the guilt her friend was obviously feeling for not telling her.

“I don’t really know why I didn’t tell you,” Arizona said again, finally calming down and taking a seat next to Callie. “Maybe because it just never really came up in conversation, or maybe partly because I was afraid.”

Callie took Arizona’s hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. With her free hand, she held the other girl’s chin, forcing her to look her square in the eyes. “Arizona, you are the best friend I’ve ever had. You accepted my daughter without even a blink of an eye. Nothing you tell me will change how I feel about you. I hope you know that.”

“I do,” Arizona agreed, seeing the sincerity in Callie’s eyes. Her eyes were so beautiful, so soulful, Arizona couldn’t help but think. _Snap out of_ , she told herself. “I’m gay,” she finally just blurted out.

“I already know, but thanks for telling me,” Callie declared with a straight face.

“You… ah… what?” Arizona stammered, certain she didn’t hear Callie correcting.

The taller girl placed a comforting hand on Arizona’s shoulder. “Honey, you don’t hide it well,” Callie informed her.

“What do you mean?” Suddenly, she was afraid that her friend had also noticed the crush she had on her.

“Maybe it’s just because of how well I’ve gotten to know you. I dunno, it was just kind of obvious to me.”

Arizona let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Maybe one day she’d tell Callie about her feelings for her, but she wasn’t ready for that just yet. It had taken a toll on her just to get this conversation out. “You’re not freaked or anything?” she asked, needing to be sure.

“No I’m not,” Callie assured.

Arizona smiled, wrapped her arms around her friend, and pulled her into a tight hug. At first Callie sat there unmoving, not sure what to do. She’d never really been hugged before. Deciding to just go with it, she wrapped her arms around Arizona, holding her tightly, taking comfort in the embrace. She could get used to this.

Before she knew it, the moment was over and Arizona was pulling away, discreetly wiping a tear. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get all sappy. I’m just happy,” she giggled at the rhyme.

“It’s alright.”

When they both felt composed again, they made their way back downstairs. Now that the anxiety of coming out to Callie was over with, Arizona let her mind wander to figuring out what Calle wanted to talk to her mom about. She wasn’t going to ask, sure she’d find out in a minute.

“Hey, everything okay girls?” Barbara greeted when they entered the kitchen again.

“Everything is fine,” Arizona smiled.

“Good.”

Callie walked over to the stove and stood with her back against the cupboard next to it so she could face the elder Robbins woman.

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Barbara questioned when she realized the teenager wasn’t going to start the conversation.

 “I was wondering if you’d be interested in watching Amelia full time. I’d pay you of course.”

“That’s not necessary,” the blonde waved her off. “But what about your nanny?”

“I’ve been thinking about letting her go. Well, I guess having my father let her go.”

Arizona just sat at the bar, watching the conversation with interest. She had to admit she liked the idea of her mom watching Amelia every day. It would give them all more time to spend together.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Barbara told her. “Why is that?”

“I’ve been thinking about Amelia’s needs and how they are changing as she gets older. You kind of affirmed what I’d already been thinking.”

“Oh?”

“You took Amelia on a walk and then thought to ask about it later. You saw something she might enjoy and just did it.”

Arizona and Barbara’s attention were both focused on Callie now. For a girl who insisted on doing everything for her child, it was interesting that she was obviously pleased with how Barbara cared for her. “Sandra is great at making sure she’s fed, changed, and gets her naps. She doesn’t, however, spend any time with her outside of that. Now that she’s getting older she needs more interaction, and more room to explore.”

The seasoned mom was impressed with Callie’s assessment of what her daughter needed. This girl was wise beyond her years. She wondered if it was as a result of having to grow up too soon, or if it was her upbringing that made her that way.

“You don’t think Sandra will provide that?” Barbara just had to be sure. She didn’t want someone losing their job undeservingly.

“No, I don’t,” Callie proclaimed. “One of the maids told me a couple of days ago that she barely touches Amelia outside of taking care of her needs. She hides it well, always holding her when I get home.”

“You’re sure the maid wasn’t lying?” Arizona piped in.

“The woman who confided in me has worked in our house for most of my life. She has no reason to lie. I trust her. She apologized for not telling me sooner. She had been keeping an eye on her, hoping that as Amelia got older she’d do more with her, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“I’m sorry,” Barbara sympathized. “If you’re sure about this, I’d be happy to watch her. I’ve enjoyed having her the last couple days.”

“And we’ll pay you, I won’t take no for an answer,” Callie stubbornly told her.

“Fine, how about a dollar a day?” Barbara conceded.

Callie looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “50.”

“Five.”

“45.”

“7.50.”

Arizona tried not to laugh at the back and forth between two very stubborn women.

“Come on, I’d have to pay way more for that for even the cheapest day care,” Callie reasoned.

“Ten dollars, and that’s final,” Barbara stated, waving the wooden spoon she was using to stir at Callie. “I know you’ll be bringing all of her food and diapers, honestly I enjoy my time with her. I don’t need you to pay me.”

“Fine,” Callie grumbled.

“But don’t be surprised when I spend that money on your daughter,” Barbara smirked.

Callie knew when she had lost, but at least she’d agreed to some form of payment. She knew that Arizona’s mom was likely to spend all kinds of money buying toys and other things for Amelia to have here. She didn’t want them wasting their money on her daughter if they didn’t have to.

“Tell you what, to make this easier, why don’t you give me 20 a day.” Callie smiled, thinking maybe she’d won after all. “But I’ll add the formula and food she’ll need to my grocery list.”

“Deal,” she admitted defeat. She walked over to her backpack and grabbed her wallet. She pulled out three 20s and handed them to Barbara. “For yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” she answered the unspoken question.

“Alright. I’ll accept it so I can stock up when I go shopping this weekend. I’ll buy her some bottles too, so that you don’t have to drag them back and forth.”

Finally the deal was complete. Moving over to Amelia, Callie lifted her out and hugged her. “Hear that missy? Mrs. Robbins is going to watch you. I’ll bet you’ll like that. No more Sandra.” Now she just had to convince her father of the change in plans. That was going to be fun.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

“Are you ready to go, little girl?” A squeal was the only response Callie got from the baby in the carseat. She really couldn’t expect much more from a baby that was just over six months old. “You know, I’m starting to think you enjoy Mrs. Barbara’s company more than mine,” she teased, running a finger along a baby-soft cheek.

She knew it wasn’t true, but Amelia seemed much happier over the last few weeks since Barbara started watching her. She would show off a smile as Callie put her in her carseat every day, sure she knew exactly where she was going.

She adjusted to the new schedule with hardly any problems. She was even sleeping pretty much through the night now. She’d wake up once, but more often than not, she’d put herself back to sleep without fuss. She wanted to credit that to Barbara, knowing her daughter was now more active during the day, and just more comfortable in general.

It hadn’t been easy convincing her father that Sandra needed to go, however. At first he was downright against it, even after Callie had informed him of what the maid had told her. He insisted only hired the best, and firing Sandra would be admitting wrong. Finally she just told him that he could keep paying Sandra if he wanted to, but she’d be taking Amelia to the Robbins’ every morning. Sandra moved out two days later with a nice severance package.

That weekend Callie joined Barbara while she ran her errands, leaving Arizona to stay home with Amelia. The two mothers worked together to make sure they grabbed everything Amelia needed throughout the day. When they finally made it home that afternoon, Arizona joined them as they turned their spare bedroom into a room for Amelia.

“Are you sure you’re ready for today?” Callie asked as she snapped the infant carrier into its base in the SUV. She wasn’t really asking her daughter though, it was more of a question to herself. Today was the day, the day of their class presentations. The two girls had spent every spare moment working on their videos. To say Callie was nervous was a gross understatement. “You’re still gonna love your mom if everything goes horribly wrong today, aren’t you?”

“MaMaMa,” Amelia agreed.

“Good,” she exclaimed, placing a kiss on Amelia’s forehead, before backing out and closing the door. Climbing into the driver’s seat, she made the quick trek to Arizona’s. She pulled into the driveway as she did every day, parking just behind Barbara’s car. If Barbara needed to go anywhere with Amelia, she now had a spare key to the SUV, and the two girls just walked to school.

“You ready for this?” Arizona questioned once Callie sat Amelia down in the corner of the living room that was Amelia’s play place.

Callie took a deep breath. “I think I am.”

“I’m wishing psychology was first period instead of last,” Arizona admitted. “So we could just get this over with.”

“I know what you mean,” Callie agreed. Bending down, she moved so she was face-to-face with her daughter. “Give mommy a kiss for luck.” Amelia smiled, opening her mouth wide when her mom tried to kiss her, leaving drool on Callie’s lips. “Close enough,” she laughed.

“Ooh, me too. I need all the luck I can get,” Arizona mused, pushing her friend out of the way and getting a similar baby kiss from Amelia. “Thanks, sweet girl,” she smirked, twirling a finger in the small ponytail Callie had given her that day.

“We’ll see you after school,” Callie told her daughter.

“Mom, we’re leaving,” Arizona called to the kitchen, as they headed for the door.

Barbara appeared in the door between the kitchen and living room. “Alright girls, good luck.”

All either girl could think about as they headed to school, was that they were going to need it.

**~CA~**

“Alright class, today we have three more groups assigned to do their presentations,” Mrs. Calloway informed, as if they didn’t already know. Presentations began last class, and would continue until they were all done. “We have Alex and Tanner up first, then Emily and Lexie, and last we have Callie and Arizona.”

The two girls smiled at each other, both content with their spot as last place of the day. Alex and Tanner, of course, elected to do videos. Emily and Lexie both did presentations in front of the class. Ever the ‘A’ student, Lexie didn’t stop at just her paper, but had a whole bunch of props to support what she was saying.

Finally it was Callie and Arizona’s turn. Callie plucked the disc off of her desk and walked to the front to hand it to Mrs. Calloway, explaining that both of theirs was on that disc.

The teacher loaded it into the DVD player, and started it up.

_A flag appeared on screen, waving in the wind. The video flipped to a picture of soldiers in training, then to a battle scene. “A few of you may have seen Arizona around school,” Callie’s voice started in the background. “But how many of you actually know her?” she questioned the audience, the video cutting to a picture of Arizona in the halls of their school._

_“She’s lead a pretty exciting life, living all over the U.S., and in other countries. But there have been sacrifices too. Like when her father was called to serve in Afghanistan. We all appreciate what our men and women in uniform do for us, but few have ever had to feel the sacrifices their families have to make while they serve. Today, I’m talking with her family about that time in their lives to see what it was like,” Callie finished, as the camera panned to show Arizona sitting with her mom and dad on their living room couch._

_Callie went on much in the fashion of a news reporter, digging for the scoop. “The kids were so little, but both Arizona and her brother, Timothy cried, missing their father. They didn’t really understand why he wasn’t home with us.” Barbara shared with the audience. She continued on about how it felt to essentially be a single parent for those months, and to do things alone, she’d normally do with her husband._

_The Colonel took a turn speaking about what it was like being away from his family for so long._

_“We’ve spoken some of how this has affected your family in the past, but do you believe it still has a part in your life now, and will in the future?” Callie asked Arizona, bringing the segment to a close._

_“Definitely, it’s made us a stronger family for sure,” Arizona began. “There will always be that part of me that worries about my father being sent overseas again, or my brother now. Fear that one or both of them won’t come home if that happens. Sometimes I have nightmares that I’m in the hanger, and the plane door opens, only to unload a coffin draped with the flag,” she admitted. “At the end of each day though, I’m proud of both my father and my brother for choosing to serve our country.”_

_Callie added a few of her own thoughts before bringing it to a close, showing the same clip of a flag to end it._

“Very nice, Callie,” Mrs. Calloway told her, as they waited for Arizona’s video to start.

_“You all know Callie Torres. Most of you have gone to school with her since elementary school,” Arizona’s voice starts off. A slide show plays, showing pictures from her first day of kindergarten, through years of hanging with friends, and then landing on her junior year photo. “But none of you know the secret she’s been carrying for almost a year and a half.”_

When they put their videos together, both Arizona and Callie had realized their openings seemed to accuse their classmates of ignorance. They changing at least one of them, but decided it brought a harsher reality to their peers.

_The scene faded in to a shot of Callie from the chest up, her arms held tightly to the ropes at either side of her body. “When asked what event had impacted Callie most in her life, she only had one thing to say.”_

_The camera zooms out to slowly bring into focus the swing Callie was holding onto and the baby inside, as she proudly stated, “The birth of my daughter, Amelia.”_

A loud gasp came from everyone in the room. Several heads turned to look in Callie’s direction as if she’d answer their silent questions. Instead she just pointed at the screen.

_“How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant?” Arizona asked from off screen._

_“Scared, terrified, worried, and a part of me was excited,” Callie confessed. Her hands keeping busy and she gently pushed her daughter in the swing, careful not to push too hard and scare the little one. “But as she grew within me, the terror slowly went away, and was replaced with joy.”_

_“Still, it had to be hard, being 17 and pregnant.”_

_“It was. My parents were anything but happy when I told them. In fact utter disapproval and disappointment are probably more accurate. I lived in fear for days that I’d have to leave my home and find a way to make a living without a high school diploma. Thankfully, my father came around and decided to help me through it. My mother, however, still doesn’t talk to me.”_

_“Why was her birth so eventful?” A soft voice continued to encourage her to keep talking._

_“She wasn’t supposed to come when she did. She was almost nine weeks early, and then when she was born, they told me there was a problem with her heart. It was terrifying. All I could think was that I would lose her before I even got to see her. I’m not sure I’d be standing here today if she hadn’t made it,” Callie admitted sadly._

_“It’s one thing to be an adult, settled in life and deal with such a thing. It’s quite another to be a teenager, and have to watch as they wheel your newborn down to surgery. When you’re sitting there waiting for any update, it doesn’t feel like mere hours, it feels like you’ve been sitting there for days, years even. Eyes snap up to any movement you might think is a doctor coming to talk to you.”_

_“I’m sure that’s changed you in some ways.”_

_Callie stopped the swing and lifted Amelia into her arms, placing a kiss into her soft hair. “It’s probably made me more protective than I might have been if she’d been born completely healthy. I worry everyday that something will happen to send her back to the hospital. She’s my whole world,” she continues, holding the baby tighter, placing more kisses on her cheeks, earning her a smile._

_“Is it fear that made you keep her a secret for so long?” This made Callie snap her head back and pause, thinking about the question thoroughly._

Arizona had always known Callie was protecting Amelia, but as she was writing her paper, and remembered Callie talking about possibly losing her baby, she wondered if there was more to her friend’s actions. She’d said as much in her paper, but never mentioned it to Callie, which presented a genuine reaction to the question.

_“I suppose that’s partly true. So long as she was sheltered in my home, there was less worry about something happening to her. If the world didn’t know about her, then they couldn’t get to her,” she theorized, really thinking about it for the first time._

_A small montage of clips began to play of Callie spending time with Amelia. She was sitting in front of the high chair as she wiggled a spoon covered in orange baby food in front of Amelia. “Ready for your first real taste of baby food? Nummy carrots,” she cheered as the spoon found its way into the baby’s mouth._

_The next clip was of the two Torres’ playing on the floor with some blocks. Amelia still had a hard time making her hands do what she wanted them to do, but when she managed to knock down mommy’s tower, she had a proud grin on her face._

_As the clips kept going, Arizona’s voice spoke softly of how these moments had changed the person Callie was. How they’d made her who she was today._

_“Last question. How will this affect your future?”_

_“It makes me determined to be a good mother. To make sure her needs are met, and that she’s cared for. I know we’ll have days that are easier than others, but I take each day for what it is, a miracle. She could have died, but she didn’t. I’ll be grateful every day to have her. I’ll also spend every day making sure she knows she’s loved and wanted.”_

_Soft music played as the final clip showed Callie as she fed Amelia, then laid her down for the night. Then followed her as she walked out of the room, back to her own room as she sat down at her desk to finish homework._

_The camera stayed on her for a moment as Arizona spoke in the background her own conclusions, ending with one last shot of a sleeping Amelia._

When the teacher got up and turned off the television, all eyes turned once again to Callie. Most of them had known this girl for years, and wondered how she’d managed to keep it a secret in such a gossipy school. A few briefly wondered if they’d just made it all up for effect.

Mrs. Calloway tried to distract the students for the remainder of class, but was unsuccessful. Most continued to look Callie’s way and ignore what she was saying. Before class the two girls went to her, explaining what Arizona’s presentation was going to be on, knowing it might cause such a reaction.

“Callie, Arizona, will you stay after please,” she said just before the bell rang. She did want to talk to them, but part of why she asked, was to save the young mother from the millions of questions that might be coming her way.

“You girls did wonderfully,” she told them once the classroom was empty. “I know this must have been a hard decision for you Callie, but I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Callie murmured, unsure she deserved such praise.

“And Arizona, amazing presentation, both of yours were actually. You presented both situations very well, showed how events can have lasting effects,” she told them sincerely. “Now, you’re welcome to stay in here a while if you’d like, let the school clear out some.”

“Thank you. It’s more tomorrow I’m worried about, after word has had time to spread,” Callie admitted.”

“Mm, very true.”

“Besides, I’d rather just get home to my baby,” the Latina smiled at the thought, earning a similar one from her teacher.

“Understandable,” she commented, watching as the girls headed for the door. “Oh and Callie?” Both girls turned back to face Mrs. Calloway. “She’s beautiful, you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Thank you.”

“Well that went better than I thought it would,” Arizona broke the silence once they were about midway home. They’d walked quickly and as quietly as possible to avoid being stopped.

“We’ll see if you can still say that tomorrow,” Callie pointed out.

“True.” The blonde paused, thinking about what she’d wanted to ask Callie for a few days now. “So I was thinking, Amelia already has a crib at my house.”

“Yeah,” Callie encouraged when Arizona paused and didn’t look like she was about to continue.

“Maybe since tomorrow is Friday, you could put her to bed at my house. Then we could stay up watching movies and stuff. I know it’s kind of cheesy, but I’ve never had a sleepover of any kind.”

Callie stopped herself from laughing at the pout on her friend’s face. It was damn cute though. “I think we could do that.”

“YAY!” Arizona yelled, wrapping her arms around Callie for a quick second, then taking off for a run towards the house.

Callie just laughed as she watched the scene before her. Oh yeah, tomorrow night was going to be fun.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

As predicted, the news had spread quickly through the school, causing quite the stir. After all, whether they knew her personally or not, everyone knew who Callie Torres was. Their school might have its share of little rich kids, but the Torres family made dollars where the rest only made pennies.

Callie held her head high as she walked through the halls to whispers of, “I always knew she was a slut,” and “Izzie was right, she sleeps with anything that moves.” Those didn’t really hurt, because she knew the truth and that’s what mattered.

“She probably doesn’t even know who the father is.” This one came from one of the Izzie’s cheerleader lackeys. That one did hurt, because it was the truth, just not for the reasons they said it. Still, she walked tall, pretending it didn’t hurt.

A hand slipped into her own and gave hers a gentle squeeze. “Forget about what those bitches say,” Arizona whispered into her ear. “Just think about how cute Amelia is.” Bringing Amelia’s smiling face to mind did help her feel better, but it wasn’t the only thing. Having Arizona standing there beside her, their hands held together was helping her much more than it should.

“Not all the talk is bad,” Arizona told her later, when they sat down to eat their lunch. “Lexie is in my computer class. I heard her defend you against some of the jocks, and even said how she thought it was great how you were trying to raise your daughter and still finish school.”

“Really?” Callie asked. Her and Lexie had never really run in the same circles, so they’d never really spoken to each other. They were both serious about their grades, however, so that gave them a sort of mutual respect for the other.

As soon as school was over, the two girls raced out of the building as fast as they could, never so grateful that it was the weekend.

On the way home, Arizona questioned herself on the decision to have Callie spend the night for the millionth time. It was a little late to take back the invitation, however. Her friend would know if she just made up some excuse and then wonder why. She just had to hope she didn’t do something stupid, like kiss her. But damn if she hadn’t wanted to for weeks now.

“She’s still sleeping,” Barbara told them as soon as they entered the side door. “She went down a little later than usual. She was still wide awake after lunch.”

“How long she been asleep?”

Barbara glanced at the clock, as if it would hold an answer she already knew. “About two hours.”

Callie took the information in, deciding what to do. “I think I’ll go get her up. That way she’ll go to bed on time tonight,” she finally decided, moving out of the room to head upstairs.

Arizona’s eyes followed her out of the room, staying focused on the doorway long after Callie had moved out of sight.

“Are you sure about her staying over tonight?” Barbara asked quietly, taking in the longing look on her daughter’s face.

“No, but it’s not like I can just take back the invitation now.”

Barbara put a comforting hand Arizona’s shoulder. She wished there was something she could do to help her daughter through this. Her baby girl was in love for the first time, and neither of them knew if it would be reciprocated. Although a part of Barbara hoped it would, she really liked Callie. She was the kind of person every parent hoped their child would find.

“Have you thought anymore about telling her?”

Arizona sighed. “Not really. I’d rather not know, than tell her and be rejected,” she admitted.

If she could, she’d protect Arizona from ever feeling that kind of rejection, but Barbara knew it would happen someday. Wrapping her arms around her daughter she gave her a tight hug, holding on until they both heard Callie coming back down the stairs.

“Look who’s awake and has a fresh diaper,” Callie proudly stated, lifting Amelia up into the air and wiggling her to get a beaming smile. “She also told me we should go for a walk while it’s nice and warm outside,” she said seriously.

“Oh she did, did she?” Arizona responded, moving to study the smiling baby. “When’d you get so smart?” she asked Amelia.

“Tell her, I’m always a genius after my naps.”

“Well I guess we better do what the little Einstein wants then,” Arizona teased.

The two girls took turns pushing the stroller as they wandered around the neighborhood. A few of the neighbors were out doing yard work. A few of them were friends with Arizona’s mom, forcing them to stop and chat. It seemed like Amelia had become quite popular around the neighborhood in the last couple of weeks. They didn’t go that far, but it was still over an hour before they were finally back at the house.

**~CA~**

“Somebody sure enjoyed her dinner,” Arizona teased later that night. Even with a bib, green covered Amelia’s face and clothes.

“Yeah I don’t think she liked the green beans nearly as much as she liked the carrots. But at least some of it went in her mouth,” Callie conceded.

“Looks like you need a bath kiddo,” Arizona told Amelia, trying to wipe off some of the green with a napkin.

“Probably a good idea,” Callie admitted, standing up, she pulled the tray off of the high chair and lifted her daughter into her arms.

“The bath seat is up in Arizona’s bathroom,” Barbara informed Callie. It was one of those extras they’d picked up just in case Barbara needed to give her a bath her for any reason, especially for days like today. Now that she was eating real food, there was no telling how each meal would end.

Arizona stayed downstairs talking to her mom, while Callie gave Amelia her bath. Even though they were staying over, Arizona wanted to be sure Callie got the one-on-one time with her daughter that she always craved.

Her bathroom sat right above the kitchen, so as soon as she heard the tub begin to drain, she headed upstairs and took Amelia’s towel wrapped body out of Callie’s hands. Callie looked at her dumbfounded, and followed her as Arizona took the baby into her bedroom where Callie had set their overnight bags earlier that day.

Laying Amelia down on her bed, she rubbed the towel lightly over her body, drying her. “Hey, baby girl, did you enjoy your bath?” she asked in a baby soft voice. Amelia gave Arizona a big grin, and tried to tell her all about it in baby babble.

“She enjoyed it, just look at my shirt,” Callie grumbled, pulling at the bottom hem, lifting her shirt from her body to emphasize her point. “She’s getting better at that splashing thing.”

“Did you splash mommy?” Arizona laughed, earning another large grin from the baby. Turning to study her friend, she smirked. “The water goes nice with the green you have on your shirt too.” Callie just rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you go take a shower? Or even a bath if you want. I’ll get her ready for bed.”

“Are you sure?”

“We got this covered don’t we?” Arizona asked the baby. “Go on, go,” she all but ordered. “Your mom doesn’t think we got this?” Arizona stated once Callie was out of the room.

Grabbing Amelia’s bag off of the floor next to her, she set it on the bed and began digging around inside. She crossed her fingers hoping that Amelia wouldn’t decide to pee before she could get a diaper on her. Finally at the bottom of the bag she found what she was looking for and pulled the Winnie-the-Pooh decorated diaper out. She was getting good at the diapering thing, if she did say so herself.

Reaching again into the bag, she found the purple bottle of lotion. “Mmm, lavender,” she told the baby. Warming the lotion in her hands, she lathered Amelia from head to toe in the stuff. “Bedtime lotion, it’s supposed to help you sleep.” Peering at the bottle, “not sure that’s true though. Now what did she bring for you to sleep in?”

Once again, she moved her way through the bag, finding a plain white onesie and footie pajamas. “Probably smart on your mom’s part. The Colonel does like to keep the A/C on high, even though the weather is cooling down outside,” she told Amelia as she carefully dressed her.

Since Callie was still in the bathroom, she really hoped she’d taken the hint and decided to enjoy a nice hot bath. Something she doubted her friend had done since before she gave birth. Part of the reason she wanted them to stay over was simply so Callie could just relax a bit.

Picking Amelia up, she made her way downstairs, trying desperately not to think about the fact that the girl she was seriously falling for was in her bathroom naked right at that moment.

“Your bother called while you were upstairs, he’s coming for a visit in a couple weeks,” her mother told her, as soon as she was settled on the couch next to her with Amelia on her lap.

“Oh cool.” She tried to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, but really she was very excited. She’d missed him. “How long is he staying?”

“Five days.”

“Well he better not tease me and Callie,” Arizona said seriously, earning a laugh from Barbara, because they both knew that was probably exactly what Tim planned to do.

Callie chose to come down at that moment. Arizona really hoped she kept a straight face when she saw that the gorgeous girl was in short shorts and a tank top. It was clear she was no longer wearing a bra. Either Callie didn’t know what she did to her, or she knew far too well. Arizona believed it to be the former.

“Her bottle is ready in the kitchen,” Barbara said, not even looking away from the television.

“Thanks,” Callie told her, striding back out of the room to fetch the bottle. Now that Amelia had moved up to eating baby food, she’d changed their dinner routine up just a bit. Breakfast and lunch she still had food and bottle, but at dinner she mixed her food up with a little bit of rice cereal to give it a little more substance. Then just before bed she’d have her last bottle to fill her tummy up before bed.

Arizona handed Amelia over when she came back in, making an excuse to head up to her room and get changed herself. As soon as she was in the safety of her room, she took a moment to let the vision of Callie take over her mind. “Oh, I think a shower would be good right about now, preferably cold,” she told herself. Tonight was so a bad idea.

The shower helped, but only for a few minutes. As soon as she found Callie lying on her bed, she was worse off than before. “Amelia asleep?” she asked trying to sound as normal as possible.

Callie pointed to the baby monitor that now sat on her night stand. “Out like a light.”

Arizona went and stood with her back to her desk, trying to look Callie in the eyes and nowhere else. “Cool, what do you want to do now?”

The older girl laughed. “What do you want to do? This was your idea,” she reminded Arizona.

“Oh, right. Well, we have games, or we could just watch a movie or something.”

“Movie sounds good. This week has been exhausting, be nice to just relax. You know?”

Arizona nodded her head in agreement. With their biology homework on top of their psychology presentations, it really had been a long week. She tried to suggest they go downstairs on the guise that the TV was larger.

“What about your mom?”

“She won’t care,” Arizona confidently told her.

“Nah, I don’t want to move,” Callie decided, wiggling to get more comfortable in the bed. She thought Arizona was acting kind of weird right now. She wouldn’t really look at her, and she was kind of fidgety where she stood. “Would you rather I go home?” Callie asked quietly, wondering if Arizona had changed her mind.

“No, of course not,” Arizona responded quickly.

“Then why are you acting so weird?”

“I’m not acting weird,” she paused. “Okay, maybe I am. I’ve just never done this before,” she lamely reasoned. Kicking herself in the butt, she told herself to just act normal and walked over to her movie collection. Throwing a disc in the player, she grabbed the remote and moved back to the bed, sitting on the end.

Callie didn’t even bother asking what Arizona had put in. She was too busy studying the blonde girl. Going over everything she knew about her friend, and how she was suddenly acting, things were starting to fall together.

“Arizona?”

“Hmm,” Arizona responded, not taking her eyes off the television.

“Relax. Come on, lay back here and relax,” Callie told her. Doing as she was told, Arizona scooted back on the bed, but there was still obvious tension on her body. “Arizona, its okay, just relax,” she tried again.

Arizona turned to look Callie in the eyes. The look she gave her instantly calmed her down, and she fell more comfortably into the pillows. She had to admit, even under the circumstances, getting to spend this time with Callie was amazing. Between their schoolwork and Callie’s responsibilities with Amelia, they hadn’t yet had a chance to just sit back and enjoy the things normal teenagers did every day.

Callie decided to test a small theory. Arizona had chosen a scary movie, so when something intense happened, she’d move close to Arizona. Each time Arizona would subtly move further away, until she was hugging the edge of the bed. It was all she needed to know.

Now she just had to figure out how she felt about that.

**~CA~**

She didn’t want to wake up, she was comfortable. In fact she couldn’t remember the last time she was so content that she didn’t want to move. Without opening her eyes, she knew it was still dark, so she wasn’t sure why she was awake. Trying to go back to sleep, she snuggled deeper feeling the firmness of the flesh…that was under her hand.

She cracked her eyes open trying to figure out what was going on, a small bit of light emanating from the TV that was still on. Last thing she remembered, she and Callie were watching a movie. She must have fallen asleep, which led to her snuggling into Callie. She looked down. Sure enough her hand had found it’s way inside the other girl’s top and was resting on a firm stomach.

She quickly snatched her hand away and tried to scoot back, only to realize she wasn’t the only one holding on. A chuckle rumbled from the stomach her hand just been resting on. Blue eyes looked up to see that Callie was awake and watching her.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

“Hi,” Callie responded back in the same uncertain tone. She’d only been awake a few minutes more than Arizona, but it never crossed her mind to pull away, and she was trying to figure out why that was. Instead she just laid there watching Arizona sleep. “Seems we fell asleep,” she surmised.

“Seems that way,” Arizona agreed.

Small noises came from somewhere in the room. It took a minute for Arizona to realize what they were. Glancing at the monitor sitting on the nightstand on Callie’s side confirmed it. Amelia was awake, but she wasn’t crying, just talking to herself.

“She’s been awake for a little bit,” Callie informed her. “Sorry if she woke you.”

“Nah, it’s okay. Are you going to get her?”

“She’s not crying, so she’ll probably put herself back to sleep.” Callie didn’t want to admit it, but she also didn’t want to move, and it seemed once Arizona realized she was awake, she didn’t want to either.

Silence fell over them as they just laid there, looking into each other’s eyes. Arizona was gay, Callie knew that, but she’d never really given herself time to think about whether she had any such feelings. She was fairly certain now that Arizona felt something more for her than their friendship. She wasn’t sure if it was just attraction, or something more. Either way, it was a good feeling to Callie.

She couldn’t stop herself as her eyes wandered down to look at Arizona’s lips. What would it be like? She wondered. Unconsciously both girls found themselves moving in to each other. Time seemed to slow down as they did so. So close now, only maybe an inch separating them, expectation was flowing through Callie’s body. Just a little more.

“MaMaMa!” came a loud cry over the monitor, causing both girls to jump back.

“Guess I better go get her before she wakes up your parents,” Callie whispered, holding back how she was feeling about what almost happened.

After Callie was gone and she could hear her singing Amelia a Spanish lullaby, Arizona laid there wondering what had just happened. How could she have almost kissed Callie? She’d almost ruined everything. “I’m so stupid,” she groaned to the room. “I probably just screwed everything up.” As soon as Callie came back she’d apologize for the whole thing and then pretend it never happened. It never occurred to her that maybe Callie wanted it too.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

“Hey mija,” Callie said softly as she pulled her daughter into her arms. “What’s with all the screaming, huh? I thought you were going to put yourself back to sleep.” Actually, she was surprised when Amelia hadn’t screamed right away. She had expected it. Sure she takes naps in this crib every day, but that’s different from waking up in the dark and expecting to be in your own bed.

She sat down in the old rocking chair Barbara had rocked both her children in, and began to sing an old lullaby one of her nannies had sung to her. Her mind wasn’t on the song though, she was thinking about what almost happened just moments before.

She almost kissed someone. Which in itself was something, since the only someone she’d ever kissed was whoever Amelia’s father is. Even then she didn’t remember it, so she wasn’t sure if it really counted. The second thing was, that person was another girl. She almost kissed another girl. And the most significant part of it was, that girl was Arizona.

She loved Arizona, that much she knew. She’s the best friend she has ever had. They’d connected instantly, as if it were meant to be. That happened with friends though too, or at least she thought it did. She also knew she could no longer imagine life without the other girl, same college, med school, internship. It was what they had been planning, as friends.

Was sex the only real difference between best friend and significant other? No there was probably more to it than that, but still, the idea of someday being with Arizona that way didn’t totally put her off. After all, the blonde was beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have her. And how would she feel if someday Arizona got a girlfriend?

“Apparently you have no answers for me,” she told the baby who had once again fallen asleep in her arms. She sat there rocking for a while longer, trying to decide what to do when she walked back into that room. Finally she placed the baby back in the crib, covering her with a light blanket and moving out of the door.

Arizona’s door was still open like she’d left it, but still she hesitated, standing in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her. Arizona was curled in bed facing away from her.

She moved over to the bed and crawled down under the covers, lying on her side so she was facing Arizona’s back. “Arizona?” she whispered.

“I’m sorry okay, it won’t happen again,” came the muffled response. The other girl didn’t even bother to turn over and face her.

Placing a hand on Arizona’s shoulder, she tried to get her to turn over and face her. “Hey, what are you sorry for?”

Arizona did turn then. The TV was still on, presenting just enough light to see the tears in the blonde’s eyes. “I screwed up. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Callie wasn’t sure she understood. Did Arizona think she was solely to blame for what had almost happened? And why did she think that was so bad? She moved to change positions so she’d be more comfortable and then pulled Arizona into her arms. “Hey, you didn’t screw anything up okay?”

“Yes, I did. I almost kissed you.”

“Yeah, and I almost kissed you,” Callie smiled.

Arizona looked up into Callie’s eyes, seeing the truth in that statement. “You did?”

“I did,” Callie confirmed, pulling Arizona tighter into her arms. “I’m not sure what it means, but you weren’t the only thinking about it.”

“Do you want to forget it happened,” Arizona asked with fear in her voice. She knew that Callie had to at least suspect her feelings now, and if she rejected her after admitting she was at fault too, well that would be hard to swallow.

Callie gave it thought for a moment before answering. “No, I don’t.”

“You don’t?” Arizona had never felt so insecure in her life, but right now in Callie’s arms, she just needed all the extra assurance she could get. What she didn’t expect however was Callie pulling away from her. Arizona was so confused, Callie didn’t want to forget, but she was moving away from her. She didn’t want the other girl to see her cry, so she covered her face with her hands and tried not to let the tears fall.

The bed shifted beneath her and then soft hands were pulling her own away from her face. The same hands then clasped her cheeks, forcing her to look into Callie’s eyes. “Hey, I wasn’t leaving you. I was just trying to move so I could do this.” Next thing she knew Callie’s lips were covering her own and then they were gone all within the blink of an eye. “How was that?” Callie smirked.

“It was good, but I think we could do better.” With that, it was Arizona’s turn to take the initiative and kiss Callie. She wrapped her hands in Callie’s hair, holding her in place as she gave Callie a passionate, but still chaste kiss. This one lasted longer, but still they pulled away after a moment. Arizona licked her lips with a smile on her face. “Yep, definitely better.”

Callie smiled back, and then moved so she lying back on the bed facing Arizona. “So I gotta ask,” she started seriously. “Was that your first kiss?” She got a shy nod in return. She’d figured it was, mostly because of what she knew about Arizona and how she grew up. A part of her was honored and felt good about it, but a part of her wasn’t sure what to think. “Mine too, well sort of.” Arizona seemed to know what she meant by that, and just smiled.

“Your mind is kind of going a mile a minute, isn’t it?” Arizona chuckled, knowing how Callie was feeling, because she was feeling the same way. “If you’re worried, I’m glad it was with you, been kind of hoping it would actually.”

They both knew that there were other firsts that were much bigger deals, but right here, in this moment, those two simple kisses were the most important firsts for them. Nothing else mattered right then, but letting it wash over them.

But there was one question that lingered over them both. “What happens now?” Arizona asked, the fear evident in her voice.

Callie stared off into the room, deep in thought. “I think for now, we go back to sleep and figure it out tomorrow.” She saw the hurt look appear on Arizona’s face instantly. “Hey, look at me,” she said softly when the blonde turned away. “I’m not saying we’re just going to forget it come morning. I’m just saying it’s late, and we should probably get some sleep while we can.”

Arizona nodded her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. Callie opened her arms, and instantly the smaller girl fell into her arms. They curled back together in much the same way they’d woken up earlier. The comfort of being so close together helped them drift back to sleep quickly.

**~CA~**

Arizona woke up and knew instantly that she was alone in bed, and while that wasn’t out of the ordinary, even in her half awake state she knew that this morning it wasn’t right. Maybe Callie woke up this morning and regretted it after all. How was she supposed to face her now?

“Hey, sleepyhead, finally decided to wake up, eh?” Callie asked from the doorway a few minutes later. She’d been so deep in thoughts of regret she hadn’t even heard Callie come back in. In her arms was a very happy Amelia.

“Finally awake?” Arizona asked looking at the clock. It wasn’t even eight yet and it was Saturday. “It’s Saturday,” she announced as if that held some kind of answer.

“Amelia doesn’t care what day of the week it is, she’s up by six or six-thirty every day.”

Poor Callie, she didn’t even get to sleep in on weekends. Wasn’t that the whole purpose of weekends?

If the leaning Amelia was doing was any indication, the baby apparently wanted Arizona, so Callie sat down on the bed. She realized her assumption was right, when her daughter almost seemed to take a dive towards the other girl.

Arizona caught her without thinking about it, laying the baby down on top of her so they were chest to chest, flipping the bedspread so it covered Amelia up to her shoulders. “Someone wants snuggles this morning it seems.” Amelia just snuggled down into her and watched her mom from her new comfy place. “She wants you to join us,” Arizona decided.

Smiling, Callie climbed under the covers and wrapped her arms around both girls. “I think she’s one smart little girl,” she admitted. She turned her face so she was looking deeply into Arizona’s eyes. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on waiting lips. “Good morning,” she beamed.

“Good morning,” Arizona all but purred back. “So last night?”

“Not a fluke,” Callie assured. Taking a glance down, she noticed Amelia had fallen back asleep. “And either she’s cool with it, or your just comfy,” she teased. “Probably a little bit of both. I know I slept good last night.”

“Mm, me too. But I’m still not sure what this means,” Arizona admitted.

“I think it means that I like kissing you, and I don’t want it to stop. Beyond that, I’m not really sure right now.” She could see she wasn’t giving Arizona the answers she wanted, but she didn’t really have any answers right now. Placing a kiss on Arizona’s forehead, she moved and placed another on her lips. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more right now. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know.”

“I’ve never had to give it any thought whether I was gay or straight or anything like that. Until Amelia, my sole focus was on my studies, and now it’s on her. Didn’t ever leave time for dating.”

“I know,” Arizona reiterated.

“So let’s just take it a day at a time, see what happens. Let me have some time to process it all. Alright?”

“Do we still get to kiss?” Arizona joked.

Callie pretended to think about it. “I guess,” she finally answered as if it was such a hardship.

“If I didn’t have a baby sleeping on my chest, I’d so hit you with a pillow right now.”

“Oh so a relationship with you will be a violent one, good to know,” Callie teased.

If Amelia wasn’t so damn cute sleeping like she was, Arizona would’ve moved her somewhere safe and seriously let Callie have it right now. She was so not playing fair. “Should I point out the baby on my chest belongs to you?”

“Should that make me jealous?” Actually it kind of did, which was a little bit of a shock to her, but definitely a pleasant kind of shock.

Arizona couldn’t help the smirk when she realized where Callie’s mind had gone just now. “I don’t know if it should, but I can see it totally does,” she piped happily.

“And just how many times have you pictured me naked?” Callie deadpanned making Arizona’s jaw drop open in shock. She couldn’t believe Callie just asked her that, joking or not, that was a loaded question. “Okay, you totally have,” the Latina realized, sitting back, done with teasing her for the moment. “That’s flattering I guess.”

To some extent it was, but it also terrified Callie. Maybe she’d never live up to the expectation. Sure, she lost the baby weight easily enough, but still, she’d had a baby. She had stretch marks and a scar from the emergency c-section she had to have when they’d felt it was the only safe way to get Amelia out.

“So, Tim’s coming to visit,” Arizona spouted, thinking a change in subject was probably a good idea right about now.

“Oh, yeah? When?” Callie asked, going with the change of conversation.

“In about two weeks. Mom said he’s staying like five days.”

“Awesome, I’ll bet you’re excited.” It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement of fact. Callie knew how much Arizona missed her brother.

Arizona smiled, “Yeah, I can’t wait for my two best friends to meet. Although, be forewarned, he’ll likely tease us like crazy, especially if he finds out about the kissage.”

“And I suppose you’ll tell him.” Also not a question, there wasn’t much that Arizona didn’t share with Tim.

“I could keep it between us, if that’s what you want,” Arizona admitted honestly.

Callie seriously thought about it, but in the end she wouldn’t do that to Arizona. “No, if you want to tell him, go ahead. I’d never ask you to keep things from him.”

“Thank you,” the blonde whispered, lightly running her hand along Amelia’s back. “He’s gonna love this cutie though. He’ll be wrapped around her finger.”

“Oh, like his sister is?”

“I am not!” She whisper-yelled.

“Uh, huh.” Both girls knew that was true. One of the things that endeared Arizona to Callie the most was how much her friend clearly loved her daughter. She knew without a doubt that Arizona would do anything that was asked of her if it would benefit Amelia. As for her daughter, she knew Amelia was already starting to sense Arizona’s absence. She’d noticed Amelia looking around the room a few times, as if she was looking for her. Barbara too. The Robbins’ had taken the Torres’ into their home without thought, and now to both of them, they were family. Especially where Amelia was concerned.

“Hey, Arizona?”

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to tell you, no matter what happens between us, it won’t change our friendship. You took my daughter and me into your life and your home without a second thought. Nothing will change how grateful I am to you for that. So even if we try this relationship thing and it doesn’t work out, you’ll still have me as a friend, and I’d never keep Amelia from you if you wanted to spend time with her either.” It was the most honest Callie had been in her life, but she knew it to be true.

Arizona let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Feeling like the world was just a little bit brighter. Her biggest worry was not only losing Callie, but Amelia as well. She loved the little girl as much as she loved her mother.

She’d never given much thought to whether she ever wanted kids or not. Now that she’d spent time with Amelia and fallen in love with her, she couldn’t imagine not having her in her life. Even if she was just the aunt that bought her cool birthday presents and took her places her mother would never step foot in.

“Thank you,” Arizona said softly. “But I really hope we don’t have to worry about that.”

“Me too,” Callie smiled, placing another kiss on Arizona’s lips. After that, they just cuddled together and lay in silence. Content to just lay there together for now, Amelia’s occasional snore being the only sound to reach their ears as the both fell back to sleep. They both drifted off with the thought that when Amelia woke up again, they’d go do something fun with their day.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Arizona awoke with a weird pressure on her chest, not to mention the fact that she had been sleeping on her back. Something she never did. Small movements quickly reminded her that Amelia was sleeping on her chest. Looking down, she watched as Amelia wiggled her head, but stayed sound asleep.

“Apparently you’re really comfy,” was whispered next to her, startling her just a bit. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay, I just didn’t realize you were awake,” Arizona half lied. Truthfully she hadn’t given any thought to Callie just yet, had forgotten she was even there. All that had been on her mind was how right it felt having Amelia near.

“You must be really comfortable,” Callie started again. “I’ve never seen her sleep that deeply, and she doesn’t usually sleep this much in the morning.”

Arizona looked at the clock, it was half past nine now. They’d gotten an extra hour and a half of sleep. It actually worried her a bit. “Shouldn’t she be starving by now? She should have had breakfast a long time ago.”

Callie found the worry sweet and quickly pressed a kiss against Arizona’s forehead to calm her down. “I fed her a bottle when she first woke up. If she was starving, believe me, she’d let us know,” she laughed.

Arizona breathed out a sigh of relief, realizing Callie was right. The little girl seemed fine just where she was. However, now that she was done worrying about Amelia, she realized she really needed to use the bathroom. “Want to get her off me? Not that I don’t love this, but I really need to use the bathroom,” she confessed.

Callie just laughed. As gently as possible, she moved her hands between the two, sliding them in the right position to lift Amelia up gently. She wanted to wake her up, but she wanted to do it slowly so as not to scare her.

Arizona sucked in a breath as Callie’s hand brushed her breast. She didn’t think this through when she asked Callie for help. Knowing it was innocent touching did nothing to quell the effects it was having on Arizona. The look in Callie’s eyes told her it wasn’t going unnoticed by her either.

As soon as the baby was off of her, she made a mad dash for the bathroom. She had to get out of there and away from Callie. She had far more on her mind than gentle kisses right now. And neither of them were anywhere near that point at present. Once the toilet was flushed, she washed her hands and ran some cold water on her face, desperately trying to clear her mind.

Back in Arizona’s bedroom, Callie sat with her daughter in her arms, trying to gently wake her up. Talking to her softly while rubbing her belly usually did the trick, but this morning Amelia was stubbornly holding on to sleep.

“Mija, time to wake up,” Callie whispered. “Come on, kiddo. I need your help.” Amelia chose that moment to open her little eyes and stare at her mom. Sometimes Callie swore she understood far more than she should. “I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before,” she admitted quietly.

“You like Arizona right?” Callie could swear at that moment that her daughter gave her a ‘duh’ look. “Okay, stupid question I know. What do you think about her and your mom getting together?” Amelia gave her a big gummy smile. “You like that idea, huh? Yeah, so do I.”

Callie wouldn’t admit it, but she was only asleep for maybe a half hour. The next hour she’d laid there, watching Arizona sleep with Amelia in her arms, just thinking. She argued with herself about whether it was what she wanted, to be with Arizona in that way. Wondering if that meant she was gay. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d never thought about. It just never occurred to her to wonder.

She couldn’t claim she’d ever taken a look at another girl and said to herself, “damn, she’s hot.” But then the same could be said about boys as well. She was always just focused on her studies, telling herself that there would be time to date later, after she was settled in her career.

She could say that she’d thought more than once about how cute or beautiful Arizona was. She couldn’t deny that there was an attraction there. She already spent most of her time with Arizona these days, so dating her wouldn’t be any more strain on her time. The only difference would be the intimacy between them. “We’d make a cute couple wouldn’t we?”

“Good thing you can’t talk yet. You’d be spilling all my secrets,” Callie teased. It’s amazing how quickly after Amelia was born, that Callie slipped into the habit of talking to her daughter to help sort her own thoughts.

“What secrets would those be?” Arizona teased, having only heard the very end of the conversation between mother and daughter.

Callie sat there for a moment, trying to find something funny to say. “How much I like kissing you,” came out instead.

“Really?” Arizona smiled. Walking over to the bed, she leaned down and placed a light kiss on Callie’s lips. “Mm, me too.”

The smile stayed on Callie’s face long after Arizona stood back up. Yes she could definitely see herself dating Arizona. “So what did you want to do today?”

“Well we should probably eat breakfast,” the blonde answered. Normally they just spent the weekends here in the house, or at Callie’s, but now that people knew about Amelia they didn’t have to hide away anymore. Figuring out what they could do with an infant was another matter. “Then, I don’t know. We could hit the mall, or the park or something.”

“The mall sounds good,” Callie said, thinking it over. “The Halloween store should be open by now. I really need to get Amelia her first costume.”

“Ooh, yes we should do that today. She could be a butterfly, or a lady bug, or a princess,” Arizona exclaimed excitedly, her mind going a million miles an hour with ideas. “Then there’s always the classic pumpkin. She’d be so cute as a chubby little pumpkin,” she smiled, tickling Amelia’s belly gently.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were more excited about this than I am.”

“Maybe I am,” Arizona said stubbornly, putting her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know, I love Halloween.” This got a laugh from her friend. “We totally have to take her out trick or treating.” She almost bounced with excitement.

The question was clear in her eyes, as Callie looked at her friend. “She’s too little to eat candy.”

“Yeah, but we aren’t,” Arizona shot back, as if it was obvious.

“You’re something else, that’s for sure.” Life would never be dull with the blonde around that was clear. Arizona was just as serious as she was about where her focus lied, but she also knew how to make life fun.

An hour later they were clicking Amelia’s carseat into the base and headed towards the mall. They drove around for several minutes trying to find a parking spot that wasn’t a mile away. Seeing a family loading up in a red van, Callie quickly moved to wait for them to pull out. It wasn’t too far from the nearest doors.

Arizona pulled out the stroller and started setting it up, while Callie pulled a half asleep Amelia out of her carrier. “I think we wore her out yesterday or something,” Callie commented as she strapped the baby into the stroller.

“Probably,” Arizona agreed.

As soon as she was buckled in, Amelia was wide awake checking out her surroundings. She always had a smile when she was in her stroller. She liked being on the move and being able to see everything.

“Can you grab the diaper bag?” Callie asked, looking down at the empty basket under the baby.

“You bet,” Arizona smiled, pointing a figure at her. As soon as the bag was settled in the basket, they made their way to the doors.

“Good thing about a stroller, if we buy anything, we don’t have to carry it,” Callie pointed out.

“Sweet!”

The Halloween store was on the opposite end of the mall so they decided just to wander around first to see what else there was to look at. Arizona had never been here before so everything was new to her. While Callie had been here, it had been almost two years since she had and a lot of it had changed. Most of Amelia’s clothes came from online shopping, more variety that way and more private.

They took turns trying on different outfits, always showing off when they were finished. Some of them were clothes they actually wanted, but most of them were silly or just plain ridiculous, especially when it was Arizona in the dressing room. More than once Callie had to stop herself from completely filling the building with her laughter. Amelia would smile and laugh accordingly, taking cues from her caretakers.

Callie bought Amelia several new outfits in a couple of the children’s stores. Arizona couldn’t stop herself and also bought a matching pink and black outfit, complete with little tennis shoes and a bow. “She’ll be so adorable,” she exclaimed to the cashier as she handed over the money.

The woman just rolled her eyes at the teens with obvious irritation, but that didn’t get Arizona down. Callie knew something like that was bound to happen. Amelia looked too much like her to just pass her off as some kid they were baby-sitting. Not that she’d ever want to do that. She wasn’t ashamed of her daughter, she just hated that people would gave her looks because she is a teen mom.

Amelia began to whine as they made their way out of the store. “She’s probably ready for lunch,” Callie realized, checking her phone for the time.

“Probably. Let’s hit the food court, I’m getting hungry myself.” Unfortunately they’d already passed the food court, so they had to backtrack a ways to get there. “Why don’t you find a table and feed Amelia and I’ll get us some food,” Arizona suggested. Callie just nodded her head in agreement. “What do you want?”

“I’m kind of feeling Chinese, is that cool with you?”

“Sure.” She loved Chinese herself, so she could handle that. “What sounds good?”

Callie thought it over. “How about some teriyaki chicken on brown rice and veggies. If they don’t have teriyaki, then mandarin. Oh and extra sauce, please.”

“Not an orange chicken girl huh? Yeah neither am I,” Arizona admitted. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t you want my money?” Callie called as Arizona turned to walk away.

Arizona turned around and looked her square in the eye. “Nope, my treat.”

“Are you sure?” Callie tried again, her pride rearing its head.

Arizona smiled and walked to stand beside Callie, leaning over so that she was right next to her ear. “Consider this our first date,” she whispered, sending chills through the Latina, who could only gulp and nod in agreement.

“Mommy’s in big trouble, yes she is,” Callie told her daughter when Arizona was safely out of earshot. Amelia just grinned, loving the attention from her mother. Callie found a clean table that already had a highchair next to it and sat down. Pulling Amelia out of the stroller, she buckled her into the chair. “Sorry kid, more green beans today. Know you don’t like them, but can’t switch yet, wanna make sure you have no problems with them first,” she told her daughter as she opened the container.

By the time Arizona arrived back at their table, Amelia was almost finished with her own lunch. “They had both mandarin and teriyaki so I got one of each,” Arizona announced as she put the tray down. “Figured if you wanted we could share.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Helping each other to the other girl’s plate, they quickly polished off both bowls. They laughed and joked like they usually did, but there was a difference this time. Every now and then, Arizona would reach out and touch her arm or shoulder. A few times she even gave her thigh a quick squeeze, but would quickly pull away.

Amelia would try and join their conversation with her baby babble. They’d both stop and give her attention, not excluding her at all. From the outside looking in, they were very easily perceived as a family. Arizona took the job of cleaning Amelia up and getting her back in the stroller, while Callie went to discard their trash.

While she was gone, an older woman took a seat at the table next to them. She watched the care in which Arizona handled the baby, and easily figured she was more than just a baby-sitter. “She’s adorable, she yours?” the woman asked.

Arizona wasn’t sure how to respond, but Callie walked back up in that moment, making it so she didn’t have too. “Ready to hit the Halloween store?” she asked, not noticing the woman next to them.

“Ah, she’s yours then,” the woman deduced, alerting Callie to her presence. “Looks just like you. Very beautiful.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“Have a good day girls,” she told them as they moved to leave.

“You too,” Arizona told her.

The woman’s eyes followed them as they walked away, noticing how close they were to each other. “Ah, it makes sense now,” she muttered to herself with a smile.

Callie headed straight for the infant and toddler costumes as soon as they entered the Halloween store. They wanted to get Amelia’s picked out first, then see if there was anything for either of them. There wasn’t a question that they’d spend the holiday together, it was just implied.

“Hey, Callie, Arizona,” a voice called from behind them as Callie was browsing a rack of Disney costumes.

“Oh, hey Lexie,” Arizona greeted when she saw Lexie and another girl she didn’t know approaching. “How are you?”

“Good,” Lexie smiled. “Oh, Callie you might remember my sister, Meredith,” she said pointing to the blonde next to her.

“Of course, you graduated two years ago didn’t you?”

“That’s right,” Meredith answered simply.

“Oh, is that your daughter,” Lexie squealed when she noticed the stroller next to them. She squatted down in front of it and smiled at the baby.

“Sure is,” Callie stated proudly. “Amelia, say hi to Lexie,” she told her daughter. She figured it was best to start instilling manners now, even if Amelia couldn’t do what she asked yet. “We were just trying to find her a costume for Halloween.”

“Ah, well she’ll look adorable in anything,” Lexie told her, never taking her eyes off the baby. She reached out and rubbed her belly earning Amelia’s trademark smile. “She’s definitely a cutie.”

“Thanks, by the way,” Callie told her.

“Thanks for what?” Lexie asked, standing back up to look at the other girl curiously.

“Arizona told me what you did, sticking up for me.”

Lexie just waved it off. “That was nothing. Those guys are jerks.”

“Still, it means a lot,” Callie told her honestly.

Lexie smiled. “You’re welcome.”

They stood around chatting for a few more minutes before Lexie and Meredith decided to take their leave. As soon as they were gone, Callie went back to perusing through the racks in search of the perfect costume. Her fingers came into contact with one, and immediately she knew it was the right one. Arizona agreed that it was perfect.

Once that was settled, the two girls decided to head off in separate directions for awhile. They wanted to pick out their own costumes in secret. Each of them with the thought that they wanted to find something that would make the other girl’s jaw drop. Now they just had to keep them hidden until Halloween


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

“I thought today was never going to end,” Arizona groaned as she pushed her way through the large blue double doors, making Callie laugh. The blonde practically bounced down the stone steps like a five year old as she made her way off school grounds.

“You’re really going to have to learn to enjoy school more if you want to be a doctor,” the raven haired girl teased.

“I like school,” Arizona insisted. “I simply hate being trapped when there are more exciting things I could be doing.”

“You are such a dork,” Callie smiled, giving Arizona a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

“That’s why you like me.” Taking Callie’s hand into her own, she entwined their fingers, holding the taller girl close. They shared a smile and then a quick kiss, never pausing on their journey home.

It had been two weeks since their first kiss and they were closer than ever, if that was even possible. Since neither one of them had ever been in a relationship before, they were taking it slow, seeing what worked for them. This meant they hadn’t gone past fairly chaste kisses and holding hands whenever they got the chance. They had yet to go on a proper date, but unbeknownst to Callie, Arizona planned to change that soon.

“That I do,” Callie said sweetly, giving Arizona’s hand a gentle squeeze. They spent every spare moment together and already it was beginning to not be enough. As soon as she got home and put Amelia to bed each night, she’d call Arizona to talk for a bit longer.

“Come on, I want to get Amelia in her costume.” Arizona tugged on Callie’s hand, dragging her quicker towards her house.

“It’s still afternoon, we have hours yet.”

“Exactly,” Arizona yelled, keeping them at an almost jog now. Callie let out a full laugh and went with it.

Entering through the kitchen side door, they both realized something was obviously different. It took them a minute to realize why. Barbara was starting dinner, just as she always was, but Amelia wasn’t in her high chair eating her afternoon snack.

“She still sleeping?” Callie asked curiously.

“No, she had a busy morning so she took her nap early,” Barbara told her without explanation.

Callie and Arizona just stared at the older Robbins wondering what was going on. It wasn’t like Barbara to be so cryptic, or not tell them about Amelia’s day. And it really wasn’t like her to not have Amelia with in the same room if she was going to be longer than a minute or two.

A giggle carried its way through the door connecting the living room. With curious glances Barbara’s way, they both followed the sound of laughter. The sight that greeted them stopped them both in their tracks. Amelia was being twirled around by a tall blond man. Callie knew Barbara wouldn’t let just anyone near her daughter so she wasn’t terribly worried, but still, a strange man was holding her daughter.

“Tim, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t getting here until tomorrow,” Arizona shouted happily, running up and wrapping her arms around her brother, being mindful of the baby in his arms.

Callie was aware of two things in this moment. One, that pictures didn’t do the man justice, Tim was a very good looking guy. Two, that she was definitely gay. At least where Arizona was concerned because even if their personalities were identical, she knew she’d go for Arizona any day. Maybe it was simply that she had two dimples, where her brother only had one. She was slowly becoming a sucker for those dimples.

“I thought I’d surprise you,” Tim told his sister, moving Amelia to rest on his hip so he could keep an arm around Arizona. “Sides, Uncle Tim wanted to get some playtime in with his niece before the moms got home,” he teased.

“Uncle Tim huh?” Arizona wasn’t about to take the bait. She knew exactly what her brother was up to.

“Sure. She loves her Uncle Tim, don’t cha?” he asked the baby, wiggling her on his hip to earn another laugh. It was a good thing Arizona had already spent time preparing Callie on Tim’s personality, or else she’d be mortified right now. Making it sound like they were already married.

“Tell your moms how we took a jog around the neighborhood, and then went to the park and played on the swings. Tried to pick up chicks.”

The last sentence seemed to bring Callie out of whatever trance she had gone into. “You used my daughter to pick up chicks?” she asked incredulously.

“MooMa,” Amelia squealed, bouncing on Tim’s hip. Callie was pleasantly surprised by this change in name from her daughter. Although she knew it would still probably be a while before she could say ‘mommy,’ but she couldn’t wait.

“I didn’t say I was the only one picking them up. Amelia here snagged a cute little ten-month old. Didn’t ya? I kept trying to tell her the little red head was too old for her, but she wouldn’t hear it. Just kept sending her these flirty smiles.”

Callie held a straight face as she moved to take her daughter from Tim. Holding Amelia up in the air, she gave her a stern look. “Were you picking up girls?” The babe smiled and tried to clap her hands. “Well you just tell _Uncle Tim_ that you aren’t allowed to date until you’re 35.”

Both Robbins watched Callie with smiles on their faces, knowing she’d played right into it. “So when’s the wedding?” Tim smirked, earning a smack to the back of the head from Arizona.

“You’re to blame for that one,” Arizona informed Callie. “You played into the Uncle Tim comment.” Arizona looked back and forth between the two, wondering if a formal introduction was in order. The looks they were giving each other clearly said it wasn’t, they looked at each other as if they’d known each other for years. Probably because she talked about one to the other incessantly.

“So, since I’m here, we on for tonight?” Tim asked Arizona, changing the subject.

Surely he was joking. Arizona was fairly certain she’d told him about her plans for tonight in one of their many conversations.

“If you’d rather do something with your brother…” Callie started, making Arizona realize she’d taken too long to respond to his question. There was disappointment in her voice, Tim probably didn’t recognize it, but she did.

Arizona walked over and looked Callie straight in the eye. “I don’t. We have plans,” she said firmly, placing a light kiss on the Latina’s lips. “Let me just go talk to him for a minute.” Callie gave her a gentle nod in agreement.

“Come on, bro. Let’s go talk.” She motioned for them to head outside, and they took a seat on the porch swing that sat in the back yard. She couldn’t understand why he’d asked what he did. Sure it had been a tradition as kids, but it was different now, and she’d told him her plans. “Why did you ask that? Our last conversation I told you we were taking Amelia out tonight.”

“I know. I meant after that. I mean she goes to bed early doesn’t she, she’s just a baby. I figured after you were done, we could get our scare on.”

“After we finish trick-or-treating, Callie and I have plans.”

“Well she didn’t seem to mind,” Tim pointed out.

“One,” Arizona said, holding up a finger. “She did mind, I could hear it in her voice. And two, she doesn’t know what our plans are,” she told him conspiratorially.

“Huh?”

“Oh she knows we have plans. She thinks we’re just hanging out and watching scary movies after Amelia goes to bed. However, once we get back, mom has agreed to baby-sit while I take Callie out on a date. There’s an all ages club downtown that’s throwing a Halloween party. And NO you are not to show up there,” she ordered when she saw the look on his face. “This will be our first official date. I don’t want to do it with my brother there.”

She knew how he worked far too well. He’d show up under the guise of wanting to just hang out and maybe pick up his own date. And for a while that might be true, but eventually he’d end up just being the overprotective brother he always was.

“And please be nice. Knock it off with the wedding jokes.” she pleaded. “I know it hasn’t been that long but I think Callie just might be the one for me. If that’s true, then those two girls are my family, and I want to make tonight the start of our own tradition.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll play nice. But if she hurts you I’m so kicking her ass.”

Arizona smiled, giving her brother a great big hug. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

**~CA~**

“Where’d my children get off too now?” Barbara asked when she found only Callie and Amelia in the living room. Amelia was playing with her toys in the corner of the room that was hers, while Callie watched her from the couch nearby.

“Arizona drug him off to talk privately after he asked if they were on tonight.”

Barbara moved to sit beside Callie on the couch. “Oh, I forgot about that. With him out of the house now, I figured that was the end of the tradition.”

“Forgot about what? What tradition?” Callie asked, feeling utterly clueless.

“Well, as you know, we moved around so much they never really made friends. Since we were in a new house pretty much every year it made it easy for them to pull it off. Every year they’d dress up in some monster costume and just sit out by the door. They could stay so still, people believed they were just decorations. Whenever they’d see kids come up that weren’t too young, they’d wait until they were at the door and scare the crap out of them.” The fondness was evident in Barbara’s voice.

“Sounds like fun, and just like Arizona. Maybe I should just go so she can spend time with her brother.”

“Don’t you dare,” Barbara quickly argued. “My daughter has been looking forward to tonight for weeks. She wants to spend tonight with you two,” she promised.

“But…”

“No buts,” Barbara interjected. “I know you two are taking things slow.” Callie’s head snapped quickly to look at Barbara in question. She knew Arizona told Tim, but they hadn’t really talked about her parents. “Don’t look so surprised, Tim isn’t the only one my daughter talks to. Besides, you two don’t hide it very well,” she teased. “As I was saying, she wants to be with you. Both of you.”

Callie smiled, feeling a little more at ease. “I don’t want to take her away from Tim though. I know how close they are.”

“It’s true, they are probably closer than most siblings. That isn’t going to change. They’ve always known eventually they’d have relationships and that it would change things. They used to stay up late, talking about it, believe it or not. There’s nothing those two don’t talk about.”

“Okay.”

“Let me warn you now. There might be times you do feel left out. It’s not intentional. They sometimes get off into their own little world. Sometimes I think they were meant to be twins, not a year apart. It would explain things so much better. You know that whole theory of psychic connection between twins,” she explained when Callie looked confused. “It’s not about you, they do it to everyone, including their own parents. Call Arizona out on it if you feel the need. She won’t hold it against you.”

“Thanks for the advice. You’re okay with us being together?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Callie shrugged her shoulders like she didn’t know. “You two were family the minute you befriended my daughter. If that someday becomes official I won’t mind one bit. All any mother wants for their child is to find someone that will make them happy, and love them the way they should be,” she assured, placing a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“She needs to tell you in her own time how she feels, but I know how Arizona feels about you. I know what she feels is real, because I can see it in her eyes. Trying looking sometime.” She knew she was probably saying more than she should, but the situation between these two girls wasn’t as simple as a normal teenage relationship. So in this case, maybe it was alright. “That being said, you hurt my daughter, you deal with me. Understood?”

“Understood,” Callie agreed. She was really hoping that was the end of the family threats, but knew it probably wasn’t. Daniel seemed more easygoing, but she’d probably get something similar from Tim at some point. Maybe even this week. And they hadn’t even been on a real date yet, the outings with Amelia notwithstanding.

The sound of laughter filled the house as the two Robbins siblings made their way back into the house. “Dude! You so did not!” Arizona shouted with disbelief in her voice.

“I so did!” Tim shot back with pride.

“Apparently we missed something,” Callie muttered to Barbara.

“I’m sure we don’t want to know. This is one of those moments where it’s best to just leave them be.” She knew her children, and they only got like that when they were competing about something. And you didn’t want to get in the middle of one of their competitions.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

As soon as Arizona saw Callie, her mind switched focus and she moved to sit next to the other girl. “Sorry we took so long. We got a little sidetracked.”

“It’s alright. You haven’t seen each other in awhile. You need time to catch up.”

Seeing the look in both girl’s eyes, Barbara and Tim decided to escape to the kitchen, giving them time alone.

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore you,” Arizona told her. “I was going to surprise you, but realized that probably was a bad idea, so I’m giving you warning. After we get back from trick-or-treating I’m taking you out on a date.”

“Really?”

“Really. Mom said she’d watch Amelia. I hope that’s okay.”

“As long as it’s okay with your mom,” Callie answered. “She watches her everyday, I don’t want Barbara feeling like we just dump her off on her.”

“She’d never feel that way. Tim isn’t the only one claiming her. I swear I heard her call herself grandma the other day,” Arizona joked.

Callie smirked, leaning in to press a lingering kiss on soft lips. “Then you and I have a date.”


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

As soon as Callie agreed to their date, Arizona was up and moving. Lifting Amelia into her arms, she tugged on Callie’s hand to get her to stand, pulling the taller girl towards Amelia’s bedroom as soon as she was on her feet. “Come on, I wanna see her in her costume,” Arizona squealed.

“I’m starting to think Tim’s not too far off,” Callie muttered under her breath, thinking about all of the ‘Uncle Tim’ and ‘moms’ comments he’d made. She wasn’t going to let herself think too deeply about that one just yet though.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she responded quickly.

Arizona just shrugged and turned her attention to the little girl in her arms. “Are you ready for Halloween munchkin?”

Amelia gave Arizona a big old smile and started her own version of babbling. At just over six months old, she was showing no signs that her premature birth was affecting her development. Her health would continue to be a concern to Callie because of her surgeries, but developmentally, she wasn’t worried one bit.

“See, she can’t wait to get in her costume either,” Arizona told Callie seriously.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Letting go of Callie’s hand as soon as they entered the guestroom, which was really Amelia’s room, Arizona grabbed the costume from where it hung in the closet and set it down next to the baby on the changing table. “You’re gonna be so cute, yes you are,” Arizona baby-talked, as she pulled the orange shirt, decorated like a jack-o-lantern, off of the chubby little girl. The black leggings quickly followed. “Looks like someone needs their diaper changed too.”

Callie smiled watching the interaction between the two. It was Amelia’s first Halloween, so Callie should probably feel left out, letting Arizona take the lead and get Amelia in her costume instead of her. She didn’t feel that way though, she loved watching those two together.

“Think we should put a shirt on underneath? It’s kind of cool out there,” Arizona pointed out.

Sometimes Callie had to roll her eyes at the blonde. She walked over to the small chest of drawers and pulled out a long sleeve white onesie. Walking over she all but throws it at Arizona’s head. “You’re such a blonde sometimes,” she teased.

“Hey!” Arizona pouted. “I am not. I was just so excited to see her dressed up, I didn’t think about it.”

Callie took the undershirt back from Arizona’s hands and quickly pulled it over her daughter’s head, snapping the buttons over her diaper. “I hope it stays warm out there. I’d hate to have to put a jacket on her.” She might not be as excited as Arizona was, but she couldn’t wait to show off her daughter’s cuteness.

“Me either,” Arizona agreed, pulling the costume off of the hanger and slipping it over Amelia’s head. She pulled the little girl into a standing position and held her in place while Callie finished with the accessories.

“There’s my angel baby,” Callie smiled, checking her daughter out. The tank-top style white dress with puffy skirt was darling on her daughter, but definitely would have been too cool without an undershirt which was why she laughed at Arizona earlier over whether they should put an undershirt on her.

“She’s the cutest angel there ever was,” Arizona complimented, using one hand to adjust the headband that held her silver halo in place.

“Should we change now too?” Callie asked, not knowing what Arizona had planned for their date.

“No, let’s wait ‘til we go out. Where we’re going you’re supposed to be dressed up,” was the only information Arizona supplied, wanting to keep everything a surprise.

“Alright.”

Heading back downstairs, they heard an “awe” from Barbara as soon as they hit the landing. “She’s so precious,” the older blonde said sweetly, running a hand on a chubby cheek. “Stay here, let me get my camera,” she ordered.

Almost 20 minutes and several dozen pictures later, they were finally walking out the door and down the street. Still fairly early, the only ones really out were those with very young children. Several waved in passing, making Callie feel, for the first time, like she really belonged as a parent.

Arizona’s neighborhood housed mostly older couples who were retired and a few scattered families. Every door they went to opened with smiles and gladly handed over their candy, even knowing the little one wasn’t going to be the one eating it. All of the women gushed over how cute Amelia was, getting large smiles in return from all three girls.

**~GA~**

“Ready to head back yet?” Callie asked after they’d hit every available house in the last five blocks. They’d been wandering around the neighborhood for close to two hours at this point.

“I dunno, I don’t think we have enough candy. What do you say Amelia?” Arizona asked the infant in her arms, shaking her head. It did the trick because the baby copied the movement and shook her head ‘no.’

“Alright, how about just a few more houses?” Callie questioned. Leaning over to the smaller girl’s ear, “I wanna get to that date,” she whispered.

“Deal,” Arizona smiled.

Entering through the kitchen door, Arizona headed upstairs to change Amelia out of her costume and into pajamas, while Callie fixed up her dinner.  It was way past her usual meal time, and her daughter had started getting fussy when they were still several blocks away.

When Arizona and Amelia still hadn’t returned long after she thought they should have, Callie wandered upstairs to investigate. Arizona had the little girl already in her pajamas, they were forgoing their normal routine of dinner then bath and pj’s for tonight, and sitting on the changing table. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but Amelia was smiling.

“You have to see this Callie, too funny,” Arizona called to her when she noticed the other girl had entered the room. She watched as Arizona opened her mouth, getting Amelia to do the same, then she poured a little bit of powder from a Pixie Stix inside her mouth. Amelia scrunched her face up from the sourness, but then laughed when it was gone.

“You’re cruel,” Callie told her, but Arizona knew she was just teasing.

“She likes it,” the blonde protested.

“If she doesn’t eat her dinner now, we know who to blame,” Callie told her, picking up her daughter and carrying her downstairs. Buckling her into the highchair and putting her bib on, she was just about to start feeding Amelia when Barbara walked into the room.

“I can do that, Callie,” she offered. “You two need to get ready for your date.”

“You sure?” She didn’t want Barbara to feel as if she was taking advantage of her.

“Of course. Go,” the older woman shooed.

“Thank you,” Callie sincerely told her. “Oh and if she doesn’t eat, blame Arizona, she gave her candy.”

“Of course she did,” Barbara muttered as if that was obvious.

Callie ran up the stairs and noticed Arizona’s door was closed so she figured the other girl was already getting changed. Entering Amelia’s room, she reached into the back of the closet and pulled out the costume she’d stashed there earlier, hoping Arizona wouldn’t realize it was there.

She slipped the outfit over her body, loving the way the material felt on her skin. She’d never been big on Halloween. Her parents were usually too busy to bother, and her nannies never cared to take her out. Later it just seemed like another excuse for kids her age to party. But this year, she had a reason to go out, and to look sexy, and she was going to make the most of it.

Hearing a door open and close and feet run down the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief that Arizona was now downstairs. She wanted to do something with her hair, but wasn’t sure if she risked running into the other girl’s bathroom with Arizona still up stairs and able to come out at any moment and see her. As quickly as possible, she moved to the bathroom and threw the lock into place to make sure the blonde didn’t have a chance to peek.

Arizona was getting antsy waiting for Callie to come down. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. Her mother had seen her costume when she brought it home, but as soon as Tim saw it on her, he protested her going out dressed like she was. “Please it’s Halloween.”

“But you look like sex on a stick,” he argued.

“That’s the point,” she smirked.

Nothing prepared her for Callie coming down the stairs looking like a goddess, literally. Her mouth dropped open in surprised and she was sure she was drooling. Callie looked so beautiful and sexy all at the same time. Maybe going out was a bad idea, she didn’t want anyone else seeing her girl like this.

She realized how true that was when she noticed her brother was also looking at Callie in awe. She smacked him upside the head. “Go get your own girlfriend and quit staring at mine,” she spat.

“Sorry,” he timidly replied, turning around.

Callie couldn’t help how happy she was hearing Arizona imply that she was her girlfriend. They hadn’t talked about it, but that was how she felt too. Licking her lips, she studied said girlfriend with lust. She never knew cowgirls could be so sexy, maybe it was just because it was Arizona, but the girl made her want to go live on a farm right this instant.

Arizona walked over to Callie slowly, taking in every inch, from the golden headband holding the loose curls in place, down over the form fitting dress that hugged her curves just right, down to the knee high sandals that wrapped up her legs. She unconsciously licked her lips as she looked back up into Callie’s eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” she told her, placing a light kiss on her lips before leaning towards her ear. “And sexy as hell,” she whispered.

“You too, cowgirl,” Callie husked back, placing a kiss on Arizona’s ear, careful not to knock the brown cowboy hat off her head. She reached out, placing her arms on Arizona’s hips feeling the skin her shirt didn’t quit cover, she pulled the smaller girl closer. “That skirt is giving me seriously naughty thoughts,” she admitted quietly.

Arizona sucked in a breath, trying not to let her mind wander to the idea of skipping their plans and finding some place to hole up and devour each other. They’d only been dating two weeks and they were taking things slow. Tonight was only their first date. She couldn’t let herself think such thoughts.

“By the way, I’ve always loved you in blue,” Callie declared in reference to the shirt Arizona was wearing. “Are we ready then?” she asked, trying to move the night along, otherwise they’d spend the night just staring at each other.

“Let me get a picture before you go,” Barbara spoke up, causing both girls to groan knowing it wouldn’t be just one picture. “Don’t give me that. Someday you’ll be glad I took this picture when you’re telling Amelia about your first date,” she insisted.

Handing the baby in question to Tim, Barbara got up from the couch and grabbed her camera, making the girls pose in several different ways. “Tim, go give them Amelia so I can get one of the three of them. I wish you hadn’t taken off her costume yet,” the woman muttered, mostly to herself.

By the time she was done, Amelia’s eyes were drooping, and she all but fell asleep in Callie’s arms. The two older girls headed upstairs to lay her down for the night. “Ok, baby girl, you be good. We’ll be back later,” she promised, placing a kiss into her daughter’s hair. “Love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Arizona said softly, placing a kiss on Amelia’s cheek, before Callie could lay her in the crib.

**~GA~**

“Are you hungry?” Arizona asked once they were settled in Callie’s SUV with the blonde in the driver’s seat. “Where we’re going, there’s not likely to be a lot of quality food, so just wondered if you wanted to grab dinner first.”

“Yeah I could eat. Of course, I wasn’t the one eating handfuls of candy,” Callie teased.

“Hey, I did- okay, maybe I ate a few bars,” she conceded.

“Mmm hmm,” Callie mumbled, giving Arizona eyes that clearly said she didn’t believe her. She knew how the blonde was. She would have eaten half of the loot they’d accumulated tonight if given the chance.

Arizona pulled into the parking lot of a diner that wasn’t too far from her house and led Callie inside. “I’ve heard they have the best burgers here,” she told Callie.

“They do,” Callie answered. Di’s Burgers was one of the local hotspots for the teenagers. However, tonight it was almost dead. Everyone must be out partying, she decided. She watched as Arizona studied the menu, enjoying the facial expressions that popped up as she read each item’s description. Arizona was so cute and she didn’t even know it.

“Good evening ladies,” their waitress greeted. “Oh, hey, Callie,” she added when she realized who was sitting at the table.

“Hi Diane,” Callie smiled. “How goes business?”

“Obviously it’s dead right now, but it’ll be busy tomorrow. Always is,” Diane answered with a slight southern twang. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh sorry, this is Arizona, my girlfriend,” Callie answered, smiling at Arizona, earning a huge grin in return. “Arizona, this is Diane, she owns this diner.”

Arizona couldn’t help the grin that came over her face when Callie called her, her girlfriend. It was an amazing feeling, and the smile Callie gave her when she said it told her she meant it just as she said it. She was only pulled out of her high when she heard Diane ask about Callie’s daughter. She turned a quick look towards Callie.

“When I was pregnant, I used to get the worst cravings for Di’s cooking, especially her fries. That late at night, I figured it was safe enough to venture out, nobody would really see me,” Callie explained.

“Ah, I see.” Arizona reached out and took Callie’s hand in her own, running her thumb over the back of the soft skin. Sometimes she wished she could have met Callie when she was pregnant, she would have loved to see her as the new life grew within her. “So I should just let you order for me then huh?”

“It would be the smart idea,” Callie teased with a grin.

“Alright fine,” Arizona drawled as if it was such a hardship.

Diane watched the exchange between the two with interest. She’d known Callie a long time, and was pleased to see how happy the girl appeared right now. “The usual?” she asked.

“Yes, please.”

“You called me your girlfriend,” Arizona said softly as soon as Diane was gone to put in their order.

“I did,” Callie agreed. “Is that okay?” There was a little doubt in her voice. That sure seemed like where they were head, but she wasn’t exactly sure how this whole relationship thing was supposed to work.

“It’s fine with me, I love the idea of being your girlfriend.”

Callie smiled, taking Arizona’s hand and giving it kiss to her palm before placing it on her own cheek. “Me too.”

Diane came and dropped off their food, burgers, curly fries, and a chocolate shake, then left quicker than she appeared. Both girls ate with stolen glances and one hand, as their fingers were entwined across the table. Luckily, because of Amelia, Callie had practice eating left-handed, because she didn’t want to let go.

When Arizona tried to pay, Diane just waved her off. “But we’re your only customers, you have to make some money tonight,” she protested.

Diane leaned over so Callie couldn’t hear. “Just make her happy, she deserves it.” Arizona just nodded and took Callie’s hand so they could leave. “Bring that baby in next time,” Diane called before the door closed behind them.

“I will,” Callie shouted back.

By the time they reached the club the place was packed with people in all variations of costumes. It was body-to-body inside and Arizona suddenly became fearful they’d get separated and never be able to find each other. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she shouted over the music to Callie.

Callie wasn’t sure herself, remembering the last time she was in such an environment. It only took one look, and Arizona realized exactly what Callie was thinking. Holding tight to her girlfriend’s hand, Arizona pulled them back out of the club. After reaching the car she held the door open for Callie so she could get back in then she climbed in the driver’s seat with a new destination in mind.

The park was deserted when she pulled into the parking lot, which was to be expected considering the time of night. Parking the car she left the engine on and turned the radio on loud. Moving around to the passenger’s side, she held out her hand to Callie. “Dance with me,” she requested.

Callie smiled, taking her hand and was led to the front of the car to dance in the headlights. They danced their way through several songs. Silly dances and crazy jigs were laughed at. They danced around each other, and grinded on each other, loving every minute of it. To end it, they wrapped their arms around each other and slow danced. They shared a passionate kiss as they moved in circles, ending with Callie’s head on Arizona’s shoulder.

As they drove home that night, they held hands, knowing they’d just shared a first date neither girl was ever likely to forget.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

“Did you want to stay tonight?” Arizona asked hesitantly when they arrived back at her house following their date.

“Probably, I mean Amelia’s probably still asleep. So, you know, I wouldn’t want to disturb her if I didn’t have to. I mean if that’s okay,” Callie rambled. She didn’t know how Arizona was feeling, but she was feeling kind of nervous. How was she supposed to act now that the date was over? Like the friend or the girlfriend?

Leaning over the console, Arizona took Callie’s face in one hand and turned her so she could place a light kiss on her lips. She smiled when they pulled apart, making Callie want to kiss her again, so she did. “I love…kissing you,” Arizona moaned out, stopping herself from saying what she wanted to say.

“Mmm, me too,” Callie admitted. “I’m just not sure what sleeping over is going to mean now.”

“It means we’re tired and need to sleep, that’s all. Neither one of us is ready to take this relationship any further yet. I won’t be offended if you want to sleep in Amelia’s room, but I’d much rather cuddle with you,” Arizona whispered the end.

“Okay,” Callie nodded her head with a smile. Reaching for the door handle, she slowly got out, waiting for Arizona to get to her side so they could walk into the house hand in hand. When the side door shut behind them, Arizona turned and flicked the lock, effectively locking the house up for the night.

They wandered into the living room, finding Barbara on the couch watching some old comedy. “Hey girls,” she greeted. “Did you have a fun time?”

Arizona looked at Callie, and the two shared a smile. “Yeah, we did,” she answered her mother.

“That’s good. Don’t you worry, Amelia hasn’t woken up once,” Barbara said, answering the question before Callie could ask it. “Come, sit down you two. I want to talk to you for a minute.”

This time the look Callie and Arizona exchanged wasn’t a smile. Barbara’s tone hinted she wanted to have a serious talk with them. “Oh, don’t look so worried,” Barbara waved her hand. “I just think we need to chat for a minute about your changing relationship.”

Arizona groaned, but sat down adjacent from her mother, pulling Callie to sit next to her, keeping her hand locked tight within her own. Barbara flicked off the TV and turned on the lamp next to the couch. The two girls stared at Barbara waiting for her to start, not sure they wanted to hear whatever it was she had to say.

“We love having you here, Callie. You and Amelia both, as far as Daniel and I are concerned, you are family. So you’re welcome here anytime, for as long as you need to be here. That’s not going to change just because you two are now dating,” she started, wanting to assure the young girl she was always welcome in their home.

Callie inwardly cringed, figuring she knew what was coming next. “Thank you. We love being here. I’ve come to think of you all as family as well, and I know Amelia loves everyone here.”

“We’re glad,” Barbara said with a smile. “Now with that being said, I know you two are taking it slow. I also know you’re best friends as well as a couple, and I don’t want you to lose that. So I don’t mind if you continue to hang out and have sleepovers here. I’m also not going to ask you to keep the doors open at all times. Girls need their privacy even ones that are just friends.”

Both girls let out a sigh of relief over something they hadn’t even had a chance to think about yet, how their relationship might have to change even within their own homes.

“However,” Barbara continued sternly. “When the time comes, I hope you both take it seriously and treat each other with respect, and be respectful of those around you.” She looked into both their eyes to make sure they understood her. “Normally this would be the part where I’d inject a joke about at least you couldn’t get each other pregnant, but uh,” she paused, hoping Callie wouldn’t take offense to that.

Callie let her off the hook. “It’s okay, I get what you mean. I never saw myself as a teenage mom, but it happened and I dealt with it. The next time I’m with someone though, I intend for it to be with someone I love deeply.”

“Good,” Barbara affirmed. “I know you’re already 18, and Arizona you will be in a few days. That makes you adults, able to make your own choices. Make them wisely.” She told them both. “Now, I’m going up to bed.” She stood up, and gave them both a hug goodnight. “Oh and don’t be fooled, Tim’s still awake. He thought for sure you’d get yourself into trouble tonight, so he’s been watching his phone all night.”

Arizona held in a laugh. That was just like Tim. He was also probably staying up to interrogate her about everything that happened. She wasn’t going to let him though. She planned to end a good night cuddled with her girlfriend. Once her mother was gone, she leaned over and placed a kiss on Callie’s lips. “I think she just gave us permission to have sex,” Arizona whispered with a laugh.

“I think she did too,” Callie agreed, not sure how she felt about that. That wasn’t normal parent-teenager behavior, but then the Robbins family wasn’t your typical family either. They listened to each other’s thoughts and opinions. Barbara and Daniel allowed Arizona and Tim to make their own choices and their own mistakes, helping them to become independent people.

“Come on,” Arizona laughed again, seeing her girlfriend deep in thought. “Let’s go to bed,” she said, pulling on the older girl’s arm. Flicking the lamp back off, they made their way up the stairs in almost darkness, with only a little light coming through the windows to guide them.

“Do you want to change in the other room, or I could,” Arizona offered once they were in her bedroom. She wasn’t sure how Callie would want this to go, so she was trying to be respectful.

“No, I mean, we can both change in here,” Callie almost stuttered, hoping that was okay with Arizona.

“Oh…kay,” Arizona said slowly, wondering if that was a good idea or not. But she didn’t want Callie to feel awkward either.

They stood on opposite sides of the bed, quickly shedding their costumes and throwing on their pajamas, trying to be careful not to look at each other. “Are you dressed yet?” Arizona called, not wanting to turn around and see more of Callie than she was ready to see at this point.

“Yes, are you?” Callie asked, before thinking about it. “That was probably a stupid question, you probably wouldn’t be asking me if you weren’t,” she chastised herself.

“It’s okay, we’re both still trying to figure this out.” Arizona walked over to Callie and took the costume from her hands, hanging it and her own up in the closet. Taking a deep breath, she turned back around to find Callie settling herself into bed. “Do you want to watch TV for awhile, or…” she trailed off.

“No, I think, maybe we could just talk.”

Arizona smiled, liking that idea. Flipping off the light, she climbed in beside Callie, getting as close as possible but still not touching her, unsure if that was what her girlfriend wanted. The other girl seemed to sense her unease and pulled Arizona into her arms. “I had fun tonight,” she whispered, placing a kiss in blonde hair.

“Me too. It was nice getting to do something, just the two of us. Not that I mind doing things with Amelia, because I don’t. I love that little girl,” Arizona quickly explained.

“I know you do,” Callie responded. “You’re right, it was nice spending a little alone time together. Maybe we can find a way to do that more often. I hate the idea of constantly pushing Amelia off on your mom though, but I don’t trust leaving her with just anyone.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Arizona promised. “By the way, you totally looked smoking hot as a goddess,” she whispered seductively. “You’re skin tone was just perfect to offset that outfit.”

“Me?” Callie questioned. “You had me dreaming of living on a farm someday so I could see you dressed up like you were tonight. Fantasizing about romps in the haystacks.”

“Mmm, there is some role playing in our future,” Arizona concluded.

“I meant what I said earlier. Next time I’m with someone, I plan to be deeply in love with them,” the older girl started. “I also really think that could be you,” she went on before Arizona could start doubting herself. “I want it to be you.”

Arizona wanted so badly to say the words that were hovering on the tip of her tongue, but she knew it wasn’t the right time. She knew Callie wasn’t there yet, and she didn’t ever want to feel like she was pressuring her to get there. She was so in love with the girl holding her, and every day she just fell harder.

“I want it to be you too,” she said instead, tilting her head up so they could kiss. The light kiss they shared was good, but it wasn’t quite enough. Pulling out of Callie’s arms a bit, she moved so they were laying face-to-face, and leaned in for a second kiss.

Callie entangled a hand in Arizona’s blonde locks and pulled her in for a third kiss. This time their mouths opened as they moaned into each other. This was the first time they were sharing anything more than pecks and long closed-mouth kisses. Still it wasn’t enough, so a short break for a gulp of air was all they took before Arizona was attacking Callie’s lips again.

“Can I…I just need…”Arizona tried to get out between deep gulps of air. She wasn’t even really sure what she was asking, she just knew there was something she needed.

Callie seemed to understand what she needed though, attaching their lips together. She let the kiss go on for a few seconds before slowly deepening it. Hesitantly, she slowly moved her tongue into Arizona’s mouth, who seemed to gladly accept it.

“Oh… my… WOW!” Arizona exclaimed when they finally pulled apart several minutes later. “That was…” she tried to explain, while still catching her breath.

“I know,” Callie grinned.

“I wanna do that again,” the blonde girl smirked, attacking Callie again. This time she was the one who deepened the kiss. As they made out, Arizona slowly pushed her girlfriend on to her back and found herself laying down on top of the gorgeous girl.

Callie’s hands twisted in Arizona’s hair, holding her in place. Their tongues soon began a battle for dominance as they built up a rhythm that worked for them. Callie took control and rolled them so that Arizona was on bottom, never stopping for longer than a quick breath.

Soft hands made their way down Callie’s body, running along her sides, and then up again to run fingers through the raven locks. When Arizona’s hands made their second trek along her body, they slowly moved underneath her tank top and ran along her back, sending chills through Callie’s body.

“We should, we should stop,” Callie breathed out, when those hands started to move towards the front of her body. Rolling off of Arizona, she laid on her side so she could still look at her. She pushed a golden lock of hair out of her girlfriend’s eyes, holding her hand on her cheek, not ready to release all contact.

“I don’t want to,” Arizona pouted.

“I know, me either,” she admitted. “But if we don’t, we are going to end up in territory we’re not ready for yet.”

Arizona let out a deep breath. “I know. It just felt so good.”

“Not denying that,” Callie smiled. She’d never imagined it could be like this with anyone. That there would suddenly be this need to just be connected physically to another person, but that’s how she was feeling at the moment. “I promise, we’ll get there.”

“There’s no hurry,” Arizona assured her. She looked deeply into the brown eyes she could just barely see because of the sliver of moonlight coming through the window. “I believe you are the one for me, Calliope Torres. None of the rest of it matters as long as you’re by my side.”

The grin on Callie’s face then couldn’t be described. Callie placed a quick kiss on her forehead, then both of her cheeks, her nose, and finally a deep one on her lips. “I think you’re right, I feel the same way.”

It wasn’t a declaration of love, but to Arizona it felt like it was. Callie thought she could be the one for her too. It meant she had feelings for her that ran deeper than friendship.

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, finding their way into each other’s arms again. Arizona laid her head over Callie’s chest, content with the sound of the other girl’s heart beating just below her ear. She could get used to sleeping like this every night. Someday that might actually happen, and she couldn’t wait to get there.

“So your birthday is in a few days,” Callie whispered, breaking the silence.

“You caught that did you,” Arizona joked.

“How come you didn’t tell me?” Callie asked with a little bit of hurt in her voice.

“It’s not a big deal,” the blonde shrugged.

“It’s your 18th birthday. I’d say that’s a big deal. We should do something fun.”

Arizona sighed. “I’m all for doing something with you, but I don’t care if it’s my birthday or not. They’re really not a big deal to me. I mean we usually have a family dinner and presents. Other than that, I’ve never cared to celebrate.”

She didn’t need to explain for Callie to get it. Other than her family, there was never really anyone else to celebrate with. It was up to Callie to make sure Arizona knew she had people now. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she planned to give it some thought.

**~CA~**

A cry startled the girls awake, making them both jump into a sitting position. “I got her, you go back to sleep,” Arizona muttered, rubbing her eyes, still half asleep. Callie, who couldn’t cover the yawn, seemed to accept the offer and muttered an ‘okay’ before laying her head back down and burying herself under the covers.

Arizona trudged across the hall, with eyes half closed. “Hey, baby girl. What’s the matter?” she asked softly, as she pulled Amelia into her arms.

“Mooma?” Amelia cried through her tears.

“Mommy’s sleeping. Mama’s here though,” Arizona soothed, too out of it to realize what she’d said.

Amelia seemed to take comfort in it though, and curled herself into Arizona’s arms. The teenager made her way to the rocking chair and settled them down in it. Rocking gently, she closed her eyes as she attempted to get Amelia to fall back to sleep.

Callie woke up and realized she was alone in bed. She vaguely remembered Amelia waking up and Arizona saying she’d get her. How long ago was that? It was still dark out then, and now so she couldn’t be sure.

Climbing out of bed, she made her way across the hall, figuring she’d better check on them. The sight she found filled her with love. Arizona was sound asleep in the rocking chair, with Amelia snoozing in her arms.

Gently lifting Amelia out of Arizona’s arms, she placed the baby back in her crib after placing a quick kiss to her forehead. Kneeling down in front of Arizona, she ran her hand over the other girl’s cheek. “Wake up, sweetie. Let’s get you back in bed,” she spoke gently, not wanting to scare Arizona.

The blonde slowly opened her eyes. “Hi,” she whispered, noticing Callie down in front of her, before realizing where she was.

“Come on,” Callie said, taking her hand and helping Arizona to her feet. “Let’s go back to bed.”

“Okay,” Arizona agreed. Crawling in bed, she let Callie wrap her arms around her from behind and quickly fell back to sleep. Callie followed suit, content with the love she was starting to feel for the girl in her arms. 


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Light shining through the window woke Arizona up the next morning. She wasn’t ready to move, however. Waking up in Callie’s arms was the best feeling in the world. She didn’t know how long she laid there before Callie started showing signs of waking up as well.

Arizona rolled onto her back, causing Callie to try and pull her even closer. “Good morning,” came the mumbled greeting, even as Callie tried to hold on to sleep.

Arizona laughed and placed a kiss on her girlfriend’s nose. “Indeed it is,” she agreed.

“I think you can give me a better good morning kiss than that,” Callie teased.

“Hm, let me try again then.” Closing the space between them, the blonde placed a tender kiss to soft lips. “How was that?”

“Much better,” Callie smirked.

“What do you wanna do today?” Arizona asked quietly.

Callie seemed to be deep in thought as she considered this question. “I kind of figured you’d want to spend some one-on-one time with your brother while he’s here,” she admitted honestly.

“I do want to spend time with him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you there.” To emphasize her point, she cuddled closer to Callie, giving her another, more passionate kiss.

“So long as you’re sure. I don’t want to steal his time. Plus you can’t do as much with Amelia tagging along,” Callie reminded her.

“I’m more than sure.”

“Okay, good,” Callie responded, happy, because she didn’t want to leave either. Wanting to hold onto the morning a little longer, she was about to closer her eyes and relax when something occurred to her. “What time is it?” she asked quickly.

Arizona turned to look at the alarm clock next to her. “A little past eight.

Callie didn’t respond as she jumped out of bed and hurried out of the room. It took Arizona a moment to figure out what Callie was thinking. As soon as she did, she followed the other girl out of the room, knowing Amelia should have woken them up long ago.

Callie was just coming out of Amelia’s room when Arizona reached the hallway. “She’s not in there,” Callie told her, trying not to panic. There was no reason to panic yet, she kept trying to tell herself. But when your child isn’t where you expect them to be, it isn’t easy to convince yourself of that. “Maybe your mom got her up,” she said more to herself.

“Maybe,” Arizona agreed as they made their way downstairs. “Except her and dad were supposed to be leaving early this morning for some event,” she recalled.

Luckily they didn’t have time to fully panic before hearing a familiar squeal. They found Tim sitting in front of Amelia on the floor, building a tower with blocks. The baby was laughing as she played her favorite new game of knocking over the tower.

“Good morning,” Arizona greeted, taking a seat on the couch next to where the two were playing on the floor.

Callie followed, sitting down beside Arizona, leaning into her, needing some contact. “Yes someone looks like she’s wide awake, so she’s been up for awhile,” she said, taking notice that her daughter was already dressed for the day. There was also an empty bottle sitting on the end table, so she’d at least already had one of those.

“Tell your mom you’ve been up two whole hours, playing with Uncle Tim,” he instructed the little one. “I heard her waking up when I went down to grab some breakfast, so I just grabbed her,” he explained. “Figured I was up anyway, might as let you two get some more sleep.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Callie told him, feeling guilty for someone taking care of her child once again.

“It’s fine, really,” he assured her. “Mom was still home then, so she gave me a quick rundown of her routine. We ate some cereal, then had a bottle. Plus we made it through a diaper change and getting dressed.”

“Awe, you’ll make such a good mom someday,” Arizona teased her brother.

“Shut up,” he spat, giving her knees a shove. “Uncle Tim likes hanging out with his favorite niece.”

Arizona opened her mouth to respond that she was his only niece, but closed it when she realized what she was about to say. Apparently they were all getting sucked into the ‘Uncle Tim’ comments. Instead she leaned over to Callie and whispered none too quietly. “See I told you he’d be wrapped around her little finger.”

“Yeah, you did. But I also remember saying that you were wrapped pretty tightly around her little fingers as well,” Callie teased back, earning a smug look from Tim.

“Before you two came down, I was just asking Amelia here if she thought some miniature golf sounded fun for all of us,” Tim announced in all seriousness.

Arizona smiled, loving that her brother was trying to include her girls in something that had always been their thing. No matter where they lived, they always found a course to play on. If they couldn’t find one, then they made one. So it meant a lot that he would do that. It meant that he knew the score. “One problem with that Timbo. There aren’t any indoor courses nearby and it’s too cold to take Amelia out for that long.”

“Do you guys like to bowl?” Callie asked, trying to suggest an alternative. “I haven’t played for several years, but I used to love it.”

The Robbins siblings exchanged a look, clearly having a silent conversation, asking each other if they wanted to do that. The two seemed to come to some sort of an agreement when they both nodded their heads without speaking a word. Callie could see what Barbara meant about them having that mysterious twins connection.

“That sounds fun,” Arizona finally said. “Just let us get dressed and grab something to eat,” she directed at Tim. “Do you mind keeping her entertained a little bit longer?”

“Nope. Go get ready, we’ll be fine. Won’t we Amelia?”

Callie was the first one to come down, finding Tim and Amelia still on the floor playing with her toys. She had to smile as she watched them together. Tim would really make a good father someday. She hoped she got to see that happen.

“Thanks again for taking care of her,” she told him as she took a seat on the floor next to the both of them.

“Mooma,” Amelia squealed, reaching her little arms out for her mom. Without even thinking about it, Callie pulled her into her lap, placing a kiss into her hair.

“Not a problem,” he said. “She’s a lot of fun.” A silence fell between them as they turned their attention to the baby, neither one of them really knowing what to say to the other.

“Look,” Tim addressed Callie after several minutes of silence. “I’m not going to give you some big lecture about hurting my sister. Mostly because I really like you, and I know how she feels about you. It’s not my place to tell you how she feels, but know that it’s strong, and it goes for her too,” he said, pointing at Amelia. “If something happens, it’ll cut her deep.”

“I’d never intentionally hurt her,” Callie insisted.

“I know you wouldn’t.” It was something he was sure of, but it didn’t keep him from worrying anyway. He knew his sister, and he knew she’d love with everything in her, which made her incredible vulnerable if things didn’t turn out well. He didn’t want to see her hurt.

He also knew how stubborn Arizona could be when she wanted to be. She’d fight for what she wanted if she had to. He could only cross his fingers that it didn’t someday blow up in her face. “I can’t be here to protect her, so I’m trusting you.”

Callie just nodded her head in understanding. She had expected far worse from Arizona’s brother. She was surprised by this conversation. “I’ll do my best,” she simply said, earning her a quick nod. The conversation ended there when they heard Arizona come down the stairs.

**~CA~**

They decided to take Callie’s car to the bowling alley, because of Amelia’s car seat. They left Callie to drive as well, since Tim didn’t really know the area, and Arizona wasn’t even sure where they were going. So instead the blonde young woman climbed into the back to sit by the baby, leaving Tim to take shot-gun.

“Do you think we should take the stroller in?” Arizona asked when they pulled up to the alley and she began working to get Amelia out of her car seat.

 “Yeah, probably not a bad idea. So we don’t have to worry about where to sit her if we need to,” Callie answered. Although they all knew it was more than likely she’d just be passed around between the three of them. Amelia would never be lacking for love in this family, Callie was sure about that. It warmed her heart that her daughter had so many people that loved her.

“Will you grab it then, and the diaper bag? I got her,” Arizona spoke, sounding very much like the parent, and partner to the other two girls.

“Sure thing, sweetie,” Callie answered back, moving to the back of the vehicle to pull the stroller out of the back, and drop the diaper bag inside.

Tim could only watch the two, seeing how they worked together. He had to admit, there was something natural in the way they did everything. He knew that his sister loved the baby in her arms, but it was a startling reality that his sister was a mother. He didn’t know if she realized it yet or not, but he could see it in her. He had mixed feelings about that, he was glad to see her so happy, but he was also now more worried than ever before.

Heading into the building, Tim led the way, with the girls following closely behind. “How many lanes and how many games?” the guy behind the counter asked when they walked up.

“Do you have one of those ramps for kids?” Tim asked.

“We do,” the attendant confirmed.

“We just need that and one lane then,” he told them. Turning to the girls, “two games good?” he asked, earning a nod. “Eight games then,” he told the other man. He gave them a funny look, realizing the baby was the only kid with them. “Oh and 3 pairs of shoes, she doesn’t really need any, she can’t even walk yet,” Tim told him, confirming two of the games were for the baby.

Once they were settled by their lane, they all started laughing as they changed their shoes. “He totally couldn’t figure you out,” Arizona told her brother.

“I know, it was great. I’m paying for it though so he should just ring it up,” he all but complained.

The attendant came over with the metal ramp, and they all set out to find the perfect ball. “So how we doing this?” Arizona said excitedly, rubbing her hands together once they were all back together and Tim was putting their names into the computer.

“Teams, you and Callie versus me and Amelia,” Tim smirked.

Arizona looked at her brother like he was slightly crazy. The man loved to win even if he had to cheat to do it. So this seemed crazy to her, but she decided to just go with it. The only thing she could think of was that he had something up his sleeve.

“Youngest first,” he announced when the game was set up. He moved to the lane and put the ramp in front of it, lining up a shot and sitting the ball in the wait position. “Come on, you’re up kiddo,” he told Amelia as he took her from her current place in her mother’s arms.

“Callie did you bring the camera?” Arizona asked quickly when Tim and Amelia were next to the ramp. “We need pictures of her first bowling trip.”

“Should be in the diaper bag,” Callie shrugged.

“Don’t do anything yet,” Arizona ordered her brother as she started digging through the bag. “Ah ha,” she squealed, pulling the camera out and turning it on. She forced Tim to hold Amelia so she could take a picture. Then took several more as Tim took her tiny hand and helped her push the ball down the ramp.

Amelia watched the ball as it rolled down the lane and giggled as the pins all fell over. It was like her favorite game. The little white things all fell down. She tried to clap her hands, not quite succeeding.

“Eight pins, good girl,” Arizona told her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Tim lined the shot back up, pointing the ramp towards the two remaining pins, while they waited for the light weight ball that had been picked just for Amelia. It was bright yellow, which easily drew her attention. As the second ball rolled down and hit the two pins, giving Amelia a spare, Arizona realized what her brother was up to. His ‘team’ definitely had the advantage with Amelia’s game.

“My turn,” Arizona exclaimed, handing the camera to Callie so she could take her turn. She didn’t notice her girlfriend taking pictures of her as she got into position and threw the ball down the lane, effectively knocking down seven pins. “Ha!” she shouted, dancing over to the ball retrieve to wait for hers to come back. Unfortunately her second try found its way into the gutter, leaving her with only those seven pins.

Callie’s turn brought her a combined total of nine, but she was beat when Tim also got a spare for himself. This pulled a grumpy pout from Arizona, who didn’t like to lose either, especially to her brother.

Amelia seemed to enjoy herself for the first game. She’d laugh and squeal each time the ball hit the pins, bouncing in Tim’s arms. The two of them managed to beat Callie and Arizona by more than 30 points, disappointing Arizona. “You so cheated,” she accused. “You took Amelia cause you knew you’d have an advantage with the ramp.”

“I did no such thing,” Tim stated with a smirk.

They’d barely started the second game when they noticed Amelia start to lose interest in the game. “Think she’s just about ready for her morning nap,” Callie announced when she saw her daughter’s eyes start to droop. She laid the back of the stroller down to make it comfortable for the baby, and then laid her down inside, wrapping the blanket around her. It wasn’t more than five minutes before she was out.

“Looks like you’re out a partner,” Arizona cheered smugly.

“I’ll just take both turns,” Tim responded confidentially.

“Fine, but no more ramp!”

“Deal.”

Callie watched the two with a smile on her mouth. They were too much for anyone to handle. At the same time, everything they said, they did so with love for each other, and it was clearly seen.

Now that Amelia was asleep, they played the game slower. Laughing and joking more than they had been before. Tim ran over to the concession stand and got them all drinks and a pizza. When it came time for their turns, however, they straightened themselves out and played a serious game. All three of them determined to win, Callie more so for her girlfriend. Although she wouldn’t mind seeing that pout again if Tim won this round too.

They got to the last frame, and after Callie’s last turn the girls were 18 points ahead. Tim would have to get a strike or a spare to have a chance at beating them. His first ball rolled down, effectively knocking down seven pins, and the other three were nestled together, making it a fairly easy shot.

“Ha,” he shouted, when he knocked them all down.

“You still gotta hit nine more to win,” Arizona pointed out, sticking her tongue out at him. “Don’t mess up,” she taunted as he swung his arm back. Their eyes were all glued to the ball as it made its way down.

Arizona bounced up and down, cheering when the turn was over, and three of Tim’s pins were still standing proudly. “YES!”

Tim grumbled to himself and sat down on the bench with a plop, working on changing his shoes back. Once back in his shoes, he took all of their balls and put them away while the girls changed theirs, talking and cheering quietly.

Callie walked behind the siblings, pushing the stroller. She tried not to laugh as Arizona taunted the poor guy the entire journey to the car. “I think we’re going to spend the rest of our lives trying to keep up with those two,” she whispered quietly to her sleeping daughter. It was something she was looking forward to.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Callie leaned back in her chair, sighing with relief when the last student cleared out of the office. It had been a hectic morning already and it wasn’t even nine o’clock. It seemed like half the student population needed something from her today. Or at least that’s how it felt. It was probably only a dozen or so, but more than she’d ever had to help on a single day since school started.

Glad to finally have some peace and quiet, she picked her backpack up off the floor and set it on the desk, preparing to do some studying for the rest of the period. She was just about to start studying for her upcoming history test, when she remembered she needed to ask Miss Montgomery for a favor. In all of the chaos of the morning, she’d almost forgotten.

Knocking lightly on the closed door, she only opened it when she had permission from the vice-principal to enter. “Hey Miss Montgomery, can I talk to you for a minute?”

The redhead looked up from her computer. Gesturing for the teen to take a seat, she pulled her glasses off and set them on the desk, giving Callie her full attention. “What’s up?”

“Tomorrow is Arizona’s birthday and I wanted to do something special for her. Because she’s moved around so much, she’s never really celebrated her birthday before.”

“Okay,” Addison said slowly, unsure what this had to do with her. “What do you need from me?”

“Tomorrow after first period can you call her down to the office, then excuse us for the day? Her mom is okay with it. She knows what I have planned.”

The older woman thought it over for a minute. “Neither of you have any tests tomorrow?” she inquired, getting a shake of the head from Callie. “That should be fine then. You’re both straight A students, so missing a couple classes shouldn’t hurt anything.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“My pleasure, Callie,” the vice-principal smiled. Addison Forbes-Montgomery was no fool. She knew why this was so important to the teenager. Callie and Arizona had been close since Arizona stepped foot in this school, but the last few weeks there had been something different between them. More intense and loving. They both seemed to have permanent smiles on their faces, the smile of being in love. She was happy for both of them.

Callie left the room with a grin on her face and a spring in her step. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

**~CA~**

Arizona stared at the screen of the computer in front of her, but her mind was anywhere but on the work she’d been assigned. Instead, she was trying to figure out what was up with Callie. Her girlfriend had acted weird before school. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was hurt and confused about the fact that Callie didn’t acknowledge her birthday. Even though she didn’t typically celebrate her birthday much, she still thought Callie would have at least mentioned it.

“Miss Robbins, Arizona,” Mr. Peterson called, pulling her out of her thoughts. Glancing around, she realized everyone was staring at her, making her feel a bit awkward. “Yes, sir?” she finally managed to respond.

“Miss Montgomery wants to see you in her office,” he told her, holding up a small slip to indicate his point.

“Oh, okay,” she mumbled, gathering her stuff up since class would soon be over anyway. She must have really been out of it not to notice who dropped off the message, didn’t even notice if it was her girlfriend or not. She was even more confused as to why she was being called into the office. She didn’t remember doing anything that might have gotten her into trouble.

Callie wasn’t behind the counter when she entered the office, or anywhere in sight. Not knowing what else to do, she knocked softly on the open door to Miss Montgomery’s office. “You wanted to see me?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes, I did. I heard a rumor that today was your birthday,” Addison said with a smile.

“It is,” Arizona confirmed, trying not to let the confusion show on her face.

Addison smiled wider, as if she had a secret. “Good. You’re excused for the day.”

“I’m what?”

“You’re excused from school, get out of here,” Addison told her with a wave of her hand, gesturing for her to leave the office.

More confused than ever, Arizona began to turn around, realizing for the first time they weren’t alone in the room. Callie stepped out from behind the open door, a bouquet of flowers in her hands, and a grin on her face. “Surprise! Happy birthday, sweetie,” she told her, as she handed Arizona the flowers and placed a kiss on her cheek. “This is just the first of many surprises I have in store for you today,” Callie announced.

Arizona put her face in the flowers, inhaling the scent. She felt bad about doubting Callie now. She should have known that her girlfriend would have something up her sleeve.

“Get out of here you two,” Addison commanded, breaking the spell that had fallen over them. “Have fun, and happy birthday Arizona.”

Callie took Arizona’s hand, gently guiding her to the front doors. Arizona was shocked when they walked outside the blue doors to find a limousine waiting for them. The driver opened the door as they reached the vehicle, then waited for them to settle themselves inside. Callie wrapped an arm around Arizona’s shoulders, pulling her into her body. Placing a kiss on the blonde’s temple, she whispered, “only the beginning.”

Arizona didn’t know how long they’d been traveling. It didn’t matter what they were going to do today, being wrapped in Callie’s arms was already better than any birthday she’d ever had. They could just drive around all day like this and she would be content.

The limo finally came to stop, and Arizona turned to check her surroundings. Her eyes quickly snapped to Callie when she realized where they were, eyes wide in wonder. She had heard mention of this place before. It was the most high-end spa getaway in the state.

 “Miss?” a voice to her right questioned. She’d been so busy staring at Callie, she didn’t realize a valet had opened her door for her. Taking the gloved hand slowly, she allowed the young man to help her out of her seat, and waited while he did the same with Callie.

“Come on,” Callie whispered softly, taking her hand and guiding her through the doors that were opened for them.

“Ah, Miss Torres. So good to see you again,” a blonde man behind the front desk greeted. “Who is this lovely young lady?”

“Hello, Emery,” Callie greeted back. “This is my girlfriend Arizona. It’s her birthday today so I want her to get the very best treatment.”

“Of course, nothing less,” he assured. “We have you down for a couple’s massage, facials, manicures, and pedicures. Was there anything else?”

“Not today,” Callie answered. Arizona knew Callie was wealthy, but she’d never really given it much thought because she didn’t act like it. It was so different to see Callie in this world, speaking with authority and commanding respect.

“Very well. Your room is ready for you,” Emery told Callie, handing her a keycard. “Your massage is schedule for an hour from now. Feel free to use one of the other amenities until then if you wish. Someone will come and get you when it’s time.”

“Thank you, Emery.”

Taking Arizona’s hand once again, Callie led them to the bank of elevators. Once in the car, Callie hit the button for their floor, putting her keycard in the slot when prompted. “My mother brings potential clients here so she keeps a permanent reservation on one of the suites,” she explained as the elevator ascended to the top floor.

Suite was an understatement for the room they entered. The door opened to a large living space, complete with fireplace, big screen TV, and couches that looked like you could sink down into them and never want to leave. The far wall held three doors leading to two bedrooms and a spacious bathroom.

“Do you want to just relax up here for a while? Or there is a pool, hot tub, or sauna we could enjoy.”

Arizona didn’t know how to answer. She was so far out of her element here. “We don’t have swimsuits,” she finally stuttered out.

“That can easily be fixed. There’s a shop downstairs,” Callie informed her.

The chance to see Callie in a swimsuit, especially if it was a bikini was definitely tempting. However, that maybe wasn’t the best idea, it was maybe too tempting. “Do we need swimsuits for the sauna?”

“No, there are robes we can use in the bedroom closets,” Callie told her.

“Let’s do that then,” Arizona decided.

They both headed into separate rooms, trying to give the other some privacy. Arizona pulled her shirt and pants off, then paused. She wasn’t sure if you were supposed to leave your underwear on or not. She didn’t want to keep asking Callie questions though. Deciding she’d just do what she wanted, she threw the robe on and left her clothes sitting neatly in a pile on the bed.

Callie led her back out to the elevators, pushing the button for the main floor. The older girl had obviously been here many times before. She seemed to know exactly where she was going without thought. Stopping in front of a wooden door, Callie slipped her keycard in the door and  held it open, allowing Arizona to enter ahead of her.

The small room was empty, so they took a seat at the far end, sitting close together. Callie closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the wall.  Wanting to relax, Arizona followed her lead and let herself rest and clear her mind. There was something soothing about the air in the room, that could put you instantly at ease.

They were able to enjoy the room for almost a half hour alone before someone else joined them. Arizona opened her eyes, discreetly taking in the new comers. It was two women, probably in their mid-forties. Nobody she’d know though, so she just put her head back to close her eyes once again.

“Little Callie, that you?” one of the newcomers asked a few minutes later.

Her relaxation ruined for the time being, Callie opened her eyes and look in the direction of the two women. “Hello, Mrs. Tagger,” Callie greeted with the manners instilled into her since birth.

“It is you. I haven’t seen you in ages. How’s your Mama?” Callie inwardly groaned. She really didn’t want to be having a discussion on her mother, and certainly not with Mrs. Tagger. The woman had always been plain annoying. Always trying to suck up to her parents, climbing the social ladder, acting better than everyone else.

“She’s just fine, ma’am. Working hard as always.” It was as much of the truth as she could give. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d talked to her mother. She was usually at the Robbins until bedtime on the weekdays and stayed most all weekends. Nobody in her house would probably notice if she just up and moved one day.

They were saved from any further conversation when the door opened again. “Miss Torres, Miss Robbins, I’m Jeanette, your hostess for your stay today,” the young brunette woman told them. “I came to get your for your massage.”

Callie stood up, helping Arizona to her feet and keeping a hold on her hand. “Ah yes, our couples massage. My present to my girlfriend for her birthday,” she said, smiling in Mrs. Tagger’s direction. She took pleasure in the shock that appeared on the older woman’s face at that. It would probably come back to bite her in the ass later, since the woman was a terrible gossip. She didn’t mind though, she was proud that Arizona was hers.

“I never said this,” Jeanette said, “but that was awesome. The look on her face was priceless.”

Callie shared a smile with Arizona. “And I never heard a thing,” Callie claimed. She felt bad for this woman who had to deal with Mrs. Tagger and others like her on a daily basis.

“Right through that room,” the hostess told them. “Get comfortable and the massage therapists will be in, in a few.”

“Thank you,” Arizona told her, following Callie into the room.

The small room was dimly lit with soft music playing in the background. Two tables were laid out side by side. A few shelves littered the walls with bottles and bottles of various oils and lotions.

Callie slipped her robe off, hanging it on a hook by the door. Arizona couldn’t help but stare at the gorgeous woman in front of her, now in only a pair of blue boy-short panties and a matching bra. The raven-haired girl gave her a smug look as she moved to lie down on the table, throwing the towel over her back. She wiggled around for a few minutes, and it wasn’t until she dropped the panties and bra into the basket on the floor underneath the table, that she realized what Callie had been doing. She gulped with the realization that her girlfriend was now naked just a few feet away from her.

“You can leave your underwear on if you want,” Callie told her, when Arizona seemed to have frozen in place. “They won’t care. But I’ve always found massages more enjoyable naked,” she put emphasis on the last word, knowing what she was doing to Arizona.

Slowly, hesitantly, Arizona slipped the robe off of her shoulders and hung it next to Callie’s. She kept her back to the other girl, not sure she was ready to face her exposed like she was. Gathering her courage, she turned to see Callie watching her intently. And Callie was definitely enjoying the view.

Arizona laid down on the table, trying her best to cover herself up with a towel. Taking a deep breath, she unhooked her bra and slipped it out from under her. She wasn’t sure how Callie had taken her panties off so easily in this position, but she did her best, finally managing to pull them free and drop them in her own basket with her bra.

“You’ll love it, I promise.”

“How did Jeanette know where to find us?” Arizona asked when silence descended on them. It was something she’d wondered about.

“Keycard,” Callie answered simply. “You noticed how I opened the sauna door with the keycard? All the rooms here are basically locked on the outside. You can only get into them with your keycard, and each card has a different code for each person. So the little palm pilot she had on her waist told her where we were based on the last door we opened. Each hostess is given a certain number of clients a day to cater to. Make sure they have what they need, and move them through their appointments.

“Oh, okay,” Arizona said quietly. She understood what Callie was saying. Jeanette was there to serve their every need, and by having knowledge of where they were, it helped her do her job more efficiently. It was surreal having someone there just to cater to you.

She wasn’t sure what to expect about who would be doing their massages, but she wasn’t surprised when a couple of Asian looking women entered the room. As the two women took their places next to the two girls, they exchanged a few words, letting Arizona know they were likely Chinese. She didn’t know the language but her family had stayed in China for a few months when she was in junior high, long enough for her to recognize the language.

“Just relax,” the one next to Arizona told her. She wanted to retort that it was easier said than done, but she didn’t, instead just tried to do as instructed.

At the first touch of hands on her shoulders, she looked over at Callie, seeing nothing but relaxation on her girlfriend’s face. Callie gave her a grin, and mouthed to her to just enjoy it, before closing her eyes. Arizona followed suit and closed her eyes, trying to just let herself focus on how she was feeling, and not on the idea that some strange woman was touching her body. After a while she wasn’t even aware as the hands moved down her body touching more intimate places.

The rest of the day went by in a world wind of activity. Their massage left Arizona feeling more relaxed and rested then she could remember being it quite some time. After it was over, they were led to another room, where they were given facials, followed by a manicure and a pedicure, just as Callie asked for.

Arizona couldn’t stop looking at her fingers. She didn’t usually paint her fingernails, but she was definitely liking the subtle pink color that now adorned her fingers. Callie opted not to have hers painted, but enjoyed the attention her hands were given.

She used to paint hers all the time when she was younger, but since becoming a mother, she never felt the need. Besides, the last few days, Amelia had taken to putting Callie’s fingers in her mouth. She thought maybe her little girl was going to start teething soon, but she wasn’t sure.

Leading Arizona back out front, she waited for the valet to open the limo door, before helping Arizona inside. “You ready for your next surprise?” Callie asked the blonde excitedly.

“There’s more?” the disbelief evident in Arizona’s voice.

Callie just smiled, loving the look on Arizona’s face. She could get used to treating her girlfriend like the princess she was to her. “Oh yeah, there’s more,” she answered. “So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride to our next destination.” Arizona couldn’t wait to see what Callie still had in store for her. Today was going to be the best birthday ever.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

As they headed to their next destination, Arizona laid her head on Callie’s shoulder, cuddling close. She let out a sigh of contentment, feeling totally relaxed after their spa treatments. The feeling of being in Callie’s arms only made it better.

Callie turned her head, placing a kiss in Arizona’s hair. “Are you having a good day so far?”

Arizona tilted her head back to look her girlfriend in the eye. “Are you kidding me? This has been the best day ever,” she exclaimed.

“Good,” was all Callie managed to respond with before the limo come to a stop. “Time for your next surprise,” she grinned. Callie was the first one out this time, turning to help Arizona once she was standing on the sidewalk. “My lady,” she said softly, holding her hand out to her blonde girlfriend.

Arizona was confused when she noticed the building before them. She turned to Callie, the question clear in her eyes without saying anything.

“We’re here to find us both a dress. I’m taking you out to dinner and spoiling you with a new outfit to wear tonight,” Callie explained.

“Calliope, no,” Arizona protested. This was the kind of place that even the smallest of handbags could run you up a couple hundred dollars or more. She couldn’t even imagine how much a dress would cost, but she’s guessing that if Callie bought them both dresses, they’d be getting out of there for no less than a thousand dollars.

“Yes,” Callie whispered in her ear sternly, leaving no room for argument. “Now, come on. They are expecting us,” she said, pulling Arizona towards the building.

She hadn’t been exaggerating when she said they were waiting for them. As soon as the two girls came through the front door, they were lead through the store, and into a private room by two sales women. The girls were separated across the room, as the two women started taking each girl’s measurements in order to find dresses for the girls.

Arizona looked at Callie, seeing the ease with which she took the whole situation, while she herself was more wary about someone being so close and personal. “Can I ask your name?” Arizona asked the woman who was currently measuring her waist. She would at least like to know the name of the person who was touching places her girlfriend hadn’t even touched yet.

“Of course, my name is Sharon, and my associate over there is LeAnn.”

“Okay. I just wanted to know who was feeling me up,” Arizona joked, getting a laugh out of everyone. She was feeling a little but more confident now.

“I suppose it can feel like that,” Sharon nodded.

“Okay, why don’t you girls sit down and relax. We’ll have someone bring you some water while we find a few dresses we think you’ll like,” LeAnn told them, before following Sharon out of the room.

Callie sat down in one of the large armchairs, gesturing for Arizona to do the same. The blonde sat down in the other chair, the only thing separating them was a small stool or table, she wasn’t sure, it was cushioned just like the chairs. “I take it you’ve been here before?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a way to start a conversation.

“It’s been a few years, but yes. Whenever my parents would throw a dinner party, or have some event they wanted to drag me to, my mother would always bring me here first to find a new dress for the occasion.”

She had a feeling the reason it had been a few years, was because of Amelia. It was like she was getting a peak into Callie’s life before Arizona and Amelia had come into it. It really didn’t match the girl she knew. “This life isn’t you,” she almost whispered.

“It never was,” Callie admitted. “I endured it because I didn’t really have a choice at the time, but I never really liked it.”

Their conversation was temporarily halted when another sales lady came in with a pitcher of water and two glasses, as well as an arrangement of fruit. She set it down between them, and was out of the room as soon as they said they didn’t need anything else.

“Ooh grapes,” Arizona excitedly squealed, popping one into her mouth. Her dimples popped out as she relished the taste.

“I do like this though,” Callie blurted quietly.

“What’s that?” Arizona asked around a mouthful of grapes.

Callie smiled, reaching out and wiping off a line of juice that had traveled down Arizona’s chin. “I like this, getting to spoil you. Seeing you smile,” she confessed.

“All it takes is having you around to make me smile,” Arizona said sweetly.

Callie smiled at her, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on the other girl’s lips, the faint hint of grapes in the kiss. “Kissing you makes me smile,” the older girl teased, kissing her again, getting lost in the feeling.

“Ahhmm,” Sharon interrupted, alerting the girls to her presence. “We have a few dresses to get you started.” LeAnn came in with a handful and took them in one of the dressing rooms, while the girl that had brought them water, placed a second set in the one next to it. “Let us know if you need any help getting them on,” she told them, pointing to which room each girl should take.

Arizona entered her room and let out a sigh, still trying to get used to this kind of treatment. She was used to just going through racks at the mall, gabbing a bunch and trying them on. This was like someone else picking out your clothes for you almost. The first thing she noticed wasn’t the dresses themselves, but that they didn’t even have price tags on them. Another statement to how expensive they likely were.

She knew this was a special occasion, and not something Callie did often. It still made her wonder though what life with Callie would be like. This whole day was a startling reminder of the unlimited funds her girlfriend had access to.

She shook it off, remembering how comfortable Callie was in the Robbins home, and her stating that she never much cared for how her parents raised her. Even as doctors, they wouldn’t make the kind of money Carlos Torres sat on.

Not wanting to let her thoughts ruin the day, she began looking over each dress, deciding which one to try on first. Taking a red one off its hanger, she slipped it over her head. It had cap sleeves and an opened back. Running her hands down her sides, she wasn’t sure what to think. Taking it back off, she decided that was a maybe.

Just as she was pulling on the third dress there was a knock on her door. “Are you okay in there? Need any help with anything?” Sharon called.

“I’m good,” Arizona responded.

“Did you need me to bring you any more dresses?”

Looking at what she had left to try on, Arizona was torn. She wasn’t sure if either one of them would work or not. “Um, maybe a couple more, just to be sure,” Arizona answered, trying to sound confident that she knew what she was doing, but knowing she likely didn’t.

Sharon hadn’t come back yet, and she had tried on the five dresses currently in her dressing room, not sure she liked any of them. She wasn’t sure what to do now.

“Do you like any of those?” Callie called from the other side of the door.

“Kinda. Sharon went to go find me some more though,” Arizona answered. “Did you find one?”

“Yep, I’m all set,” Callie told her with a smile in her voice.

“Oh, were you ready to go then, I could just pick from one of these,” Arizona offered, not wanting to hold the other girl up if she was ready to go.

“Arizona, open the door. Please,” she pleaded when she didn’t get a response. After some shuffling, the door finally opened to reveal Arizona back in her own clothes. She leaned in, giving her a quick kiss. “If you don’t love any of those, then I’ll wait while you try on some more. This is your day, your dress. However long it takes, I’m good to wait.”

“Okay,” the younger girl conceded.

“Good. I’ll just be out here when you’re finished,” Callie told her, moving to take a seat back in one of the armchairs.

As soon as Sharon came back with a few more dresses, she found one she was sure she’d like. Trying it on, she was even more excited by it. She hoped Callie would love it too. “I’ve found it,” she called to Callie.

“Awesome,” Callie answered back.

“Do you want to see it?”

“Nope,” Callie quickly shot back. “Not ‘til tonight, just like you’re not seeing mine.”

Well Arizona did kind of like the idea of surprising each other with what they’d chosen, but still it wasn’t her money. “But you’re the one paying for it. Don’t you want to see what you’re buying?”

“So long as you like it, doesn’t matter to me.”

Arizona hesitantly agreed, throwing her clothes back on and heading back out to the main part of the room. Callie told her to show Sharon which one she wanted so she could get it ready to go, and headed out of the room so she didn’t see the exchange.

“Do you need shoes, or any accessories?” Callie asked when they headed up to pay.

“No, I think I’m good.” She tried to sound sure of herself, already mentally going through her closet to figure out if she had shoes that would go with the dress.

Callie wanted to shake her head at her girlfriend. She knew why Arizona was acting like this, but it was only money. Really it wasn’t even her money. She honestly just wanted to spoil Arizona. “Arizona, sweetie, if you want to look at anything else, go ahead.”

More than a half hour later, they were once again trying to pay, this time with a matching pair of shoes, nestled in their box so that Callie couldn’t see. Callie turned away from the counter, pulling Arizona into her arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead, after she’d handed over her credit card. She didn’t even bother to look at her total as she signed the receipt.

One of the sales girls carried their stuff out, laying it down flat in the trunk of the limo while the girls crawled in, cuddling together again. “So, is there anything else you want to do today, or do you just want to head home until we leave for dinner?” Callie offered her the choice.

“Home, I think. I’d like to see my baby for my birthday today, and if we wait ‘til after dinner, she’ll be asleep.”

Callie smiled figuring Arizona would say that, and taking warmth in the ‘my baby’ part. “She’ll like that. She has a present for you anyway.”

Arizona looked up at Callie with a smile. “Oh yeah?”

“Yep.”

**~CA~**

Callie couldn’t have stopped her if she’d wanted too. As soon as the limo stopped outside of the Robbins home, Arizona was out and running into the house. Sometimes Callie thought Arizona loved her daughter more than she did.

 There was a brief time when she was still pregnant, that she realized her life wouldn’t only change, but any relationships she might eventually have would have to be different than what she’d imagined as well. She never thought she’d find someone that would love her child as much as she did. It only made her fall in love with Arizona more, and reinforced the notion that she was probably the one for her.

“Tell mommy how much you missed us,” Arizona told Amelia as soon as Callie found them in the living room. “You kept looking for us after snack time, didn’t you baby girl?”

Amelia nodded her head in agreement. She held an arm out to Callie, but at the same time, she laid her head on Arizona’s chest, wrapping her other hand around a chunk of blond hair. It was the first time Callie realized that there was a strong bond between the two of them. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but her two girls had formed a family bond. Arizona had become someone Amelia looked to as her mother. Now she knew why Tim had tried to stress how much there was to lose in this relationship.

“I’ll, uh go get your present,” Callie stuttered, needing a moment to herself to think. She ran up to Amelia’s room, going through the diaper bag to find the present from Amelia she’d stashed in there.

With the wrapped package in her hands, she sat down in the rocking chair, taking a moment. She was falling in love with Arizona, maybe she had already fallen. Of course they’d discussed their future, planned things together, like college and med school. But she’d never really thought about what their personal lives might be like.

Their relationship was making Arizona a parent. Did she really want to become a mother at 18? Was it fair to her to make her take on that type of responsibility?

“Hey, whacha doing up here?” Arizona asked softly, walking into the room. “You didn’t come back down.”

“I was just thinking,” Callie admitted.

“About what?”

The raven-haired girl forced a smile, standing up. “Nothing important. Come on, let’s go back downstairs so Amelia can watch you open your present.”

“Okay,” Arizona said, not believing Callie for a second. She didn’t want to push her though, so she dropped it for now, figuring Callie would tell her when she was ready.

The two girls made their way quickly down the stairs hand-in-hand, the wrapped package still in Callie’s free hand. They headed straight back to the living room, where Amelia was playing on the floor, Barbara keeping a close eye. Callie let go of Arizona’s hand so she could pick up her daughter, helping the little girl hold the present.

“What do you got for me?” Arizona asked, earning a smile from Amelia. She had no idea what was going on, but she loved the attention.

The three girls sat on the couch together as Arizona slowly pulled the paper apart. When she saw what was inside, she smiled. It was such a sentimental present, but one she’d treasure forever. “Did you make this baby girl?” she asked the infant, her eyes never leaving the clay handprint. Above the hand it had Amelia’s name, and below it read ‘age seven months.’ Finally looking away, she placed a kiss on Amelia’s small cheek. “I love it,” she stated, looking Callie in the eye so she knew how much she meant it.

**~CA~**

Callie found herself at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her girlfriend to come down. Barbara had already fussed over how beautiful she looked in her new black sequined dress. She was grateful her girlfriend’s mother didn’t point out the hole in the front that showed off the valley between her breasts, leaving the rest up to the imagination.

Neither of them could wait for the blonde to come down and show them the dress that Arizona had picked out.

It was definitely worth the wait, when Arizona appeared at the top of the stairs. The dress flowed with her as she made her way down. It was almost like the dress was made just for her. The bright blue color complemented her eyes, and was just the color Callie had mentioned she loved on her. It was a sleeveless, v-neck that gave Callie a good idea of what it held just under the material and she gulped, trying not to think about it too hard. Her blonde hair hung loose, with a hint of a wave to it. Callie wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve someone as beautiful as Arizona.

“You look beautiful, honey,” Barbara was the first to speak. Callie hadn’t yet figured out how to form words.

Arizona was having a similar time, but was trying not to show it, especially in front of her mother. They both managed to get out a goodbye to Amelia before heading out the door, where the limo was once again waiting for them outside. She briefly wondered if it had been out there the whole time, or if the driver had left and come back later. It didn’t really matter either way.

They arrived at a restaurant Arizona had never even heard of, and she quickly realized why, it was only for the rich and famous. They only had to wait a minute before they were led to their table. The server was promptly there by their side, taking drink orders. She had to let Callie order for her, because she hadn’t heard of anything on the menu.

“I love that dress, but there’s something missing,” Callie told her while they waited for their dinner to come.

Arizona looked down at herself, not sure what Callie was getting at. “What?”

“This,” the young mother said, setting a jewelry box on the table and sliding it towards Arizona.

“Callie, this is too much, really.”

“Just open it,” Callie commanded.

Arizona smiled, opening the blue velvet box to find the necklace nestled inside. “It’s beautiful,” she told her, seeing the three heart shaped pendants of different sizes on it.

“I know our situation is a little unusual, but I wanted to get you something that represented us. No matter what happens with our relationship, I know you’re in my life for good and Amelia’s too. This necklace is a reminder of that,” Callie explained. She stood up and moved to help Arizona put it on when the other girl pulled it from its box. Walking back around to her side of the table, she admired the piece, loving the way it looked on Arizona.

Their food came, and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. Stealing glances at each other, Arizona knew there was still something on Callie’s mind, but that the other girl was trying not to let it ruin their time together, so she wasn’t going to bring it up. She just wanted to enjoy this special time with the one she loved.

“I loved today, Calliope,” she started softly, when their food was just about gone. “Don’t get me wrong, I felt like a princess,” Arizona was trying to tread lightly, not wanting Callie to think she’d done something wrong, but she wanted her to know, all this extravagance wasn’t necessary. “But I would have been just as happy playing in the park with Amelia, or wandering around the mall with you. Dinner at Applebee’s would have been fine. You don’t need to spend money on me.”

Callie reached across the table, taking Arizona’s hand within her own. “I know I don’t. I just wanted to do something special for your birthday.”

Arizona smiled, knowing that Callie was being completely honest. The words were building on her tongue, and it had gotten to the point where she really just couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. Every day it was getting harder and harder not to say it, and now in this moment, she felt like it was right, so she hoped that it was and she didn’t mess anything up. “I love you.”

Callie stared at her in shock for a moment. Not sure what to think. After her conversation with Tim, she knew how Arizona felt. She could feel it already, but he confirmed it for her. But actually hearing it was a whole different thing.

“I know we’ve only been dating a few weeks, so sorry if I’m being too fast, but I just couldn’t hold it in any longer,” Arizona started rambling.

Callie squeezed Arizona’s hand tightly, effectively stopping her ramble. In that moment, she knew. “I love you, too.” And that was the best present Arizona had ever received.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

“Do you really have to go?” Arizona whined. It has been three weeks since they said those three little words to each other and they were closer than ever before. The need to be within touching distance at all times was strong.

Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie’s waist, locking her hands together behind the other girl’s back, pulling her closer. “I don’t want you to go,” she tried again, placing a soft kiss on the other girl’s lips. This had become their routine every night out in the driveway as Callie attempted to leave.

“Just think, after school tomorrow, I’m yours for five days,” Callie reminded her. “You can handcuff me to you and it wouldn’t matter,” she teased.

Arizona gave the idea more thought than she probably should have, wondering where she could buy handcuffs. That was until her mind went somewhere completely dirty, and she had to shake it off. “Five days, I love the sound of that. Thanksgiving just may become my new favorite holiday.”

“Mmm, mine too,” Callie told her, kissing Arizona again. “I better get her home, and into bed,” tilting her head towards the car to emphasize her point. Both girls looked through the window, to the sleeping baby in her carseat.

“Yeah, I know,” Arizona pouted, but allowed Callie to climb in the driver’s seat. Closing the door for her, she gave her one last kiss through the open window. “Call me later.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Arizona responded, stepping back as Callie put the car into reverse and started backing out into the street. Those five days wouldn’t be long enough.

**~CA~**

Two days later Arizona was woken from a really good dream to find herself alone in bed. Her body always knew instinctually the days Callie had stayed over, and the days she’d gone home for the night. And she was positive she’d gone to bed with her girlfriend last night.

Getting up and slipping on her robe to ward off the slight chill in the room, she headed out. Amelia’s room was empty, but the messy crib suggested she hadn’t imagined her girls should be somewhere in the house.

The only sign of life in the living room was her dad kicking back in his armchair with the newspaper and a football game on the television. “Good morning, Dad,” she told him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“Morning, Arizona,” he responded with barely a glance from his paper. She wished Tim had been able to come home for the holiday, at least then her dad and brother would be shouting at the game. But it didn’t play into the cards. Instead he was having dinner with some of this other pilot buddies.

Walking through the connecting door to the kitchen, she found her mother and girlfriend already hard at work. Amelia was in her high chair, munching on cheerios and babbling at the two. She was used to her mother spending all day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. She wasn’t expecting Callie to be helping though. After all, her mother never allowed her to help. “What’s going on, guys?” she asked softly.

“Oh, good morning, sweetie,” her mother smiled.

“Yes, good morning sweetie,” Callie repeated Barbara, adding a quick kiss to Arizona’s lips. They didn’t sit and make-out in front of her parents, but they didn’t hide their affection for each other either, and neither of the elder Robbins seemed to mind.

“I repeat, what’s going on?” Arizona asked again when she realized they still hadn’t answered her question.

“Oh, Callie just suggested a way to give the Turkey a little more flavor, and offered to help me,” Barbara answered as if it was nothing.

“You never let me help,” Arizona pouted.

Barbara sent a smirk her daughter’s way. “That’s because Callie can actually cook.”

Arizona wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or surprised, so she decided to go with both emotions. “That’s not fair,” she told her mother, before turning to her girlfriend. “You know how to cook?”

The brunette had a sheepish look on her face. “Uh, yeah. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with our chef when I was pregnant,” she offered as an explanation.

That made sense to Arizona. Callie had explained that once she started showing, she pretty much locked herself in the house except for her outings to the diner and her doctor appointments. She probably got bored pretty easily. She couldn’t even imagine what that was like for the other girl. “How come you didn’t wake me up?” she pouted, realizing Callie and her mom had been up for quite some time.

“You were pretty tired, you didn’t even move when I got up,” Callie commented. “You must have been pretty out of it.”

“Well somebody kept me up half the night,” Arizona teased. A gasp from her mother made Arizona realize how that sounded. “Not like that mom, jeez. We were just talking until late.”  The elder blonde gave her a look that clearly said she didn’t believe her. “Fine there was some kissing, but that’s it. We still haven’t… um… there’s been none of that yet.” By the time she was finished, her face was extremely red.

Barbara smiled. “It’s alright, you just caught me off guard.” She’d already come to accept that her daughter was growing up, but it was good to know her daughter was still holding on to some of her innocence. She’d seen the change in her daughter over the last few months, and she had come to believe her relationship with Callie was more than just a high school romance. Those two girls had something strong between them, something that was solid enough to last. Knowing that, she didn’t fear letting her daughter become the woman she was meant to be.

Embarrassed now, Arizona decided to make an exit and let things cool down some. “Alrighty, well let me just go up and get ready, then I can come back to help,” Arizona told them.

“Take your time dear,” Barbara called as Arizona raced back towards her room. The look on her face caused Callie to laugh when she realized what Arizona’s mom was really saying. The longer she was gone, the better it would be for them.

Arizona headed straight upstairs and into her bathroom, jumping into the shower. She hurried through her normal routine, hating to miss any moments with Callie, and Amelia as well. She wasn’t about to voice it out loud, but they’d talked so much about attending the same college, she was really hoping they’d be living together then and she couldn’t wait. She’d never have to spend the night away from her girls again.

She threw on her normal attire for a casual Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She’d be changing before they went to the Torres’ later that day though. Since the Robbins always ate around two and the Torres’ didn’t eat until seven, the girls could attend both family dinners as a couple. Even if all the parties in attendance didn’t know they were a couple, namely Callie’s family.

“All right. What do you want me to do?” she asked as soon as she made her way back into the kitchen.

“You’re on baby duty,” Barbara told her daughter with a smile. She knew Arizona might protest wanting to help them cook, but her and Callie had already decided this was a much less disastrous alternative. It wouldn’t be hard to convince Arizona to take care of Amelia, she did it naturally anyway.

Before she could object, Callie walked over to her, lifted one of Arizona’s hands and placed a kiss into the palm. “Amelia never got a bath last night,” she reminded the blonde. “Mind giving her one now?”

“Of course not, but don’t think I don’t know what you two are doing,” she tells them both with a pointed finger.

Callie smiled, placing another kiss on Arizona’s lips before pulling herself away from her. “Her outfit for today is on the dresser.”

Arizona nodded, before moving over to Amelia. For only eating cheerios, she’d sure made a mess. They were all over the floor around her and she’d even managed to get some in her hair. Lifting the tray out of the way, she wasn’t surprised to find soggy cereal mashed into her clothes as well. Good thing Callie hadn’t already dressed her for the day. “Come here my baby girl,” Arizona told her as she got the baby out of the high chair. “Would have been nice if Mommy would have mentioned you needed a bath before I took my shower since I’m about to get another one,” she spoke to the little girl, but it was clearly intended for Callie.

“Mommy!” Amelia squealed, trying to clap, looking over to her mom. This earned a giant grin from Callie. Not that she didn’t love the slow transition of names Amelia had gone through, but hearing her finally master ‘mommy’ was high on the list of favorite moments in her life. Now it was only a matter of time before she started picking up other words.

Nobody knew when it happened, but somewhere along the way, Callie and Arizona had become equal caretakers of the little girl when they were together. Callie still liked to have some one-on-one time with her daughter, but it wasn’t as big of a necessity since they shared family time with the Robbins. This was what she was trying to accomplish with Amelia in the first place, that feeling of the two of them being a family. Now it was the five of them, six including Tim.

While the bathtub filled with water, Arizona stripped Amelia of her pajamas and threw her diaper in the diaper pail. Sitting her girl down in the bath chair, she threw in some of Amelia’s favorite toys. Even though the baby was sitting just fine on her own now, Arizona still liked using the chair to make sure nothing happened to her favorite little girl.

Almost immediately Amelia started splashing, like she always did. She loved bath time. Next summer they were going to have to take her swimming, because she was bound to love it. “You love to splash, don’t you baby girl?” she asked, throwing a towel over her clothes in hopes of not getting so wet that she had to change again.

Every day Amelia was looking more and more like Callie. She had her mother’s gorgeous dark brown eyes and her cute button nose would likely grow to be just like Callie’s. The only real difference between the two girls was Amelia’s ears. She hadn’t met Lucia Torres yet, but she was sure Amelia’s ears didn’t come from the Torres clan. It was the only reminder to her that someone had fathered the little one she was more than willing to lay claim to.

“Let’s wash your hair and get those cheerios out, shall we?” Arizona asked in a high voice as she started gently pouring water over soft dark hair. As expected, Amelia fussed a little bit, not liking the water on her head. “I know, I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Once Amelia was all clean, she wrapped the little girl up tightly in her hooded towel. Amelia curled into Arizona’s chest, cuddling close as they made their way into the little girl’s room. By the time she’d gotten Amelia into her new “My First Thanksgiving” onesie, the little girl’s eyes were drooping, indicating she was clearly ready for her morning nap.

“Alright, bug,” the blonde whispered settling in the rocking chair with the baby in her arms. “Let’s get you to sleep now, then maybe you can join us for dinner.” No more than ten minutes later and Amelia was out for good. Placing a gentle kiss into her hair, she placed the baby in the crib. “Love you, baby girl.”

“Where’s Amelia?” Callie asked, when Arizona once again entered the kitchen.

Waving the baby monitor in the air. “She’s sound asleep. Now, what do you need help with?” Conceding, Callie and Barbara gave Arizona jobs they hoped she had no hope of screwing up.

**~CA~**

“This looks delicious,” Daniel said as they all gathered around the dining room table. “You ladies did a wonderful job,” he complimented.

“Ba, ba, da, da,” Amelia babbled in response.

“Oh you helped too? Good job, Amelia,” Daniel told her with a smile. “Now, we have a tradition in this house, before eating we like to go around and say what we’re thankful for,” he directed at Callie. “I’m thankful for this great country we live,” he opened up to the room, ever the Colonel.

“Well, I’m thankful that my daughter is happy and healthy,” Callie spoke up next, slipping easily into it.

Arizona smiled at Callie, reaching her hand out to her girlfriend’s and giving it a light squeeze. “I’m thankful that I’ve finally found a friend and more.”

“And I’m thankful for my wonderful family, and that it’s grown by two this year,” Barbara finished them off, looking softly at Callie then Amelia.

It wasn’t long before the dishes of food began flying around the table, each person piling their plates high. Callie took a little bit of some of the dishes and made small, non-choking, bits that Amelia could easily gum down. Normally Callie wouldn’t even think about giving her table food, but this was a special occasion. Tomorrow she’d go back to her strict baby-food diet.

The conversation flowed easily, as they all took their time eating, much like they always did. Callie never felt like an outsider, all of the Robbins made sure to keep her included in the conversation. They always made sure to ask her about school and how she was doing. It took her a while to get used to the attention, but now it was second nature to her.

“So, do you girls want to go out shopping with me tomorrow?” Barbara asked as they were cleaning their plates from the table.

“Sounds fun,” Arizona answered, not really giving it much thought. Her mom had always been big on hitting the sales, trying to get her Christmas shopping done in one day. Over the years Arizona had gone with her on occasion and they always enjoyed the time together.

“I’d love to, but I don’t really wanna drag Amelia out. But you should go,” Callie told Arizona.

“No, I’ll stay home if you’re not going.”

“I have nowhere to be tomorrow, I can watch her,” Daniel offered, breaking into the conversation.

Callie turned to look at him, not sure what she thought about the idea. Sure Amelia loved him, and he’d spent plenty of time with her, but he’d never been alone with her before.

“Don’t give me that look girl,” he smirked at Callie. “I’ve raised two kids too. I know how to change a diaper.”

“If you’re sure,” she agreed hesitantly. She did like the idea of going shopping with Barbara and Arizona, but the idea of leaving Amelia home with the Colonel was an idea she was going to have to get used to.

“He’ll be fine,” Barbara threw her two cents in. “And we’ll try and hit stores close to home so we can be back in a hurry if we need to. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good,” Callie admitted. Having Barbara’s assurances that he’d been fine went a long way towards making her feel better about the whole idea. 

They spent the next little while looking through the ads, trying to decide which stores they should hit and which they should avoid. Afterwards, in case she didn’t see him before they came back from her house that night, she gave Daniel a quick rundown of Amelia’s schedule. The Colonel was always up by 5:30 every morning, so he’d be up long before she woke up.

An hour later they were climbing into Callie’s car, ready to head to her house for another Thanksgiving dinner. This one would be a lot more formal than the Robbins dinner had been. “Are you sure you’re ready to deal with my family?” Callie asked for the thousandth time. “I’m not sure what kind of mood my mother will be in.”

“I’ll be fine,” Arizona promised again.

“Alright then, here we go.”


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Callie pulled up outside the house that she grew up in, and put the SUV into park. Putting her hands on the keys, she hesitated making the move that would shut the vehicle off. She’d asked Arizona about a dozen times if she was ready for this, but really she should have been asking herself that question. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother was inside, Lucia Torres was, after all, all about appearances. Callie hadn’t said more than two words to her mother since telling her parents that she was pregnant. She had no idea how today would go.

Softly placing a hand over Callie’s on the ignition, Arizona helped her turn the keys, the world suddenly going silent. Leaning over the center console, Arizona placed a kiss on Callie’s cheek. “You okay?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m just really not sure what to expect from her. My uncle’s family should be here too, but that’s no guarantee that she won’t cause a scene,” Callie stated, knowing how her mother could get at times.

“Do you not want to go in?”

“No, I really don’t. But I can’t do that to my dad, he’s been looking forward to this. He’s trying.” She didn’t need to add the last part, Arizona already knew. Even though Callie and Amelia spent most of their time at the Robbins’, Carlos was trying to stay more involved in their lives. He’d call just to check in, or spend time with them when they were all home.

“Okay. Do you want to get Amelia, or do you want me to?”

Arizona’s simple question wasn’t meant to send Callie into such deep thought, but it did. Both options could make a loud statement. If Arizona walked in with Amelia, it would easily show the bond the three of them had created together. However, the bigger point Callie needed to make to her mother right now, was simply that Amelia was real, and she was Callie’s daughter, whether Lucia Torres liked it or not. “I’ll get her.”

“Come here, my baby,” Callie told her daughter, as she unbuckled the carseat and lifted her out of the car. Settling the infant on her hip, she used her free hand to entwine her fingers with Arizona’s, needing the strength the other girl gave her.

Not wanting to let go, Callie signaled for her girlfriend to open the door. The house was quiet from where they stood in the foyer, so Callie figured they hadn’t yet made it to the dining room. Using their joined hands to point where to go, she led them towards the back of the house. Knowing her uncle like she did, everyone was likely in the large family room so that he could watch his football.

Just as she had suspected, everyone was relaxing back on the large brown couches that formed a U-shape around the TV. Her uncle Javier and his two sons were watching the game with interest, as well as her father. Her mother and aunt were off to one side chatting quietly.

“Happy Thanksgiving everyone,” Callie greeted, just wanting to get this whole day over with.

The whole room turned to look at the three newcomers, all but one had a smile on their faces. Arizona could easily pick out which of the two women was Lucia, even if Callie didn’t look so much like her mother. She could easily tell by the look she gave them.

Lucia first looked at the baby in her daughter’s arm, and let her face drop. Then she noticed how the two girls were holding hands and scowled. “You’re late,” she grumbled, turning her back to her daughter.

Callie just rolled her eyes at her mother’s back. Yes they were later than planned, but it wasn’t like they had made the rest of the family miss out on anything. Dinner wasn’t to be served for another 15 minutes anyway. “Sorry, it took me a little longer to get my daughter ready than I thought it would,” Callie shot back, putting emphasis on the word daughter.

Carlos chose that moment to get up and greet his daughter and grandchild, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you here, mija. And you too, Arizona,” he told the girls sincerely. He too noticed the way his daughter held her friend’s hand, but he didn’t comment.

“Are you going to introduce us?” Javier called as he stood up and moved over to his niece.

“Of course,” Callie answered, realizing her extended family didn’t know Amelia either. She started pointing people out. “Those are my cousins, Silvestre and Juan on that couch. My aunt, Fernanda and my mother, Lucia, on the other couch. And this here is my uncle Javier,” she told Arizona. “Everyone, this is my friend Arizona. And this,” she started, bouncing the baby on her hip, “is my daughter, Amelia.”

“Oh, she’s precious,” Fernanda cried, moving to the baby to run a hand over her chubby cheeks. “Can I hold her?”

“I uh,” Callie stumbled. These people were family, but she still felt a strong need to protect her child from everything. “I guess,” she finally answered, handing her over gently.

“I always wanted a daughter,” her aunt confided. “But I love my boys,” she quickly stated before her two teenage sons could protest.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” Javier directed to Arizona.

“You, too,” the blonde smiled. “I’m guess you’re from the Torres side of the family.”

“Yes, Carlos is my older brother. How’d you know?”

“Just a hunch,” Arizona told him. She wasn’t about to admit, especially with Lucia in the room, that she didn’t think these two, as nice as they were, could possibly be related to the other woman.

“I can’t believe you’ve kept this cutie hidden for so long,” Fernanda chided Callie.

“I’m sorry, I just…” she paused, not really having an answer.

“It’s okay, Callie,” her aunt soothed her. Leaning closer to her niece’s ear so that she wouldn’t be overheard, “Just because some people are too blind to see how they are acting, doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t going to still love you and her.”

“Thanks.”

“Mommy,” Amelia cried, finally noticing she was in a stranger’s arms. She’d been too busy before, checking out all the new people to notice she had changed hands. Fernanda tried to jiggle her around, but the, almost, eight month old was having none of that. “Mommy,” she cried again, reaching her arms out to her mom.

“Sorry,” Callie apologized, taking her daughter back. “She’s off her normal schedule today, and she doesn’t really meet a lot of new people.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Dinner was called so the group made their way into the dining room. It was clear who’d planned out the seating arrangement when the table was missing Amelia’s highchair. With an angered look thrown her mother’s way, Callie, with the help of her cousins, rearranged the table so that Amelia could sit between Callie and Arizona. At least Lucia was kind enough to give Arizona a seat.

Arizona immediately noticed the differences between her own family and the Torres’ when the food began to come out. Not only were they being served, their plates were already dished up. The food was also different. There was the normal turkey and mashed potatoes, but some of the other dishes she didn’t recognize.

“I forgot to warn you about that,” Callie whispered to Arizona, when she noticed the blond staring down at her food. “We combine American, Cuban, and Mexican dishes for Thanksgiving.

“Oh that’s cool,” Arizona admitted, liking the idea that they combined all their cultures. “Is any of this mega spicy?” she worried.

“No, you should be good,” Callie told her. She knew her girlfriend liked spicy, so long as it wasn’t burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth spicy. “’Sides if Juan can handle it, you surely can, he’s a much bigger wuss,” Callie teased her cousin.

“Hey! Just because I don’t like my mouth to feel like its on fire doesn’t mean I’m a wuss,” he argued, earning a laugh from just about everyone at the table. She loved to tease both of her cousins endlessly, and they gave it right back to her most of the time. Silvestre was only a few months younger than her, and Juan had just turned 16 not too long ago.

“How’s the driving going? Kill anyone yet?” she goaded.

“No, I haven’t,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

Amelia saw this and laughed, trying to do the same. “Great, look what you taught my daughter,” she pretended to be mad, throwing a napkin at him. She heard her mother groan, but chose to ignore her. She also wasn’t about to admit that Amelia had learned this long ago from her blonde girlfriend.

“Not my fault her mommy is a meanie,” Juan taunted, throwing the napkin back at her.

“Calliope, Juan, stop acting like children,” Carlos chastised, not actually mad. A year ago he wouldn’t have been able to say the same. His conversation with Callie a few months ago was a real eye opener. He was trying to let himself relax a little and be more like the parent his daughter had become.

“Lo siento, Papi,” Callie spoke, hiding the smile on her face. They tended to stick to the more American titles normally, but family gatherings like this always brought out the Cuban-Mexican in her, she supposed much like those that slipped into old accents.

Arizona couldn’t do anything but sit and watch the interaction between the Torres clan. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she agreed to join them for dinner. She wasn’t complaining, because this was definitely better. Lucia was the only one holding to her expectation. The woman kept her focus on her plate, not glancing at anyone. Arizona was certain there was something Callie’s mother was stewing about.

“So, Arizona, tell us about yourself,” Javier said, switching the focus to the blonde.

Arizona blushed, but started talking about her childhood, hoping she didn’t make a fool of herself. “I’m pretty set on med school, I’m just not sure what kind of doctor I want to be,” she told the room a little while later. “Not like Calliope does,” she smiled.

“Why are you even here?” Lucia interrupted quietly at first, but when all eyes turned to her, she repeated herself even louder.

“Lucia,” Carlos tried to dissuade her.

“This is a family dinner. So I repeat, why is she here?”

Callie stood up, facing her mother. “She’s here because I invited her, just like she invited me to eat with her family. Because she’s my friend.”

“Oh, but according to Brittany Tagger, she’s more than that,” Lucia spat.

Callie sighed, she knew that was going to come back to bite her in the ass. She didn’t regret doing it, but this wasn’t how she had planned to tell her family. Walking around the highchair to stand next to Arizona, she took the other girl’s hand and pulled her up to stand beside her. “Arizona isn’t just my friend,” Callie paused, looking into Arizona’s eyes and getting the courage she needed from the deep blue. “She’s also my girlfriend,” she finished quickly.

“Way to go, cuz!” Silvestre shouted. He was normally the quietest of the three, but he had to give props to Callie. Arizona was hot, and if she hadn’t been holding Callie’s hand earlier, he probably would have attempted to ask her out.

Lucia glared at Silvestre, and then Juan before he could say anything. “This is unacceptable!” she shouted, slamming her hands down on the table.

Amelia let out a whimper at the shouting and sudden banging. Callie was torn, she really needed to have this out with her mother, but her baby was upset. Arizona helped solve the problem some when she lifted Amelia into her arms, gently rocking her. All eyes were on Arizona as Amelia curled into her chest, quickly quieting down.

“Let’s have it now, Mother. What is so unacceptable?” Callie asked in an even tone, trying not to lose her temper.

“It isn’t bad enough you get knocked up and have a child out of wedlock. Now you’re in this perverse relationship, embarrassing this family further.”

“Lucia, you can stop right there,” Fernanda sternly ordered, standing up to jump in. “You know very well my brother is gay, and I will not having you say such things about anyone, most especially your own daughter.”

“Stay out of this!” Lucia yelled. “This is between me and Calliope.”

“Oh, no. You do NOT get to call me that,” Callie yelled back at her mother. “Not anymore. That name is reserved for people who respect and love me.”

“I love you.” The statement was weak, and everyone knew it.

“That very well may be true. But you don’t respect me. You think my daughter was a mistake, that she shouldn’t exist. Hell you pretend she doesn’t exist. I have news for you Mother, she’s here and she’s the best thing in my life. As for my relationship with Arizona, she makes me happier than I could have ever imagined I’d be.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this life you’ve chosen,” Lucia replied, sounding almost sad about it. Her pride wouldn’t let her relent one bit, however. So instead, she just turned and walked out the door.

“I’m sorry we ruined dinner,” Callie offered once her mother was long gone.

Fernanda walked around the table, pulling Callie into a hug. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.”

Taking a moment to calm herself down, Callie finally turned to her father. She’d been so busy with her mother, she hadn’t had time to give thought to how he had taken her announcement. “Daddy?” she asked quietly.

“Let’s go talk, Calliope. Privately,” he told her softly. “It’s not bad, I promise,” he soothed when he noticed her hesitate and give a glance to Arizona and Amelia.

“Alright,” she agreed, following him out of the room and down the hall to his office. She took a seat on the small couch while he shut the door behind them.

He sat down beside her. “Why didn’t you tell me, mija? I thought we were on better terms now.”

Callie sighed. “We are. I just didn’t know how. I wasn’t sure how you’d react and I really need you to be okay with this.”

“I know I haven’t been there for you in the past, but I’ve always wanted to see you happy. Clearly Arizona does that for you.”

Callie smiled a smile that, had she been Arizona, would have made her dimples pop. “She really does. I never expected this to happen, but I’ve fallen in love with her.”

Carlos gave her a fatherly pat on her arm. “When you told me you were pregnant, I saw your whole future fly out the window. I feared you’d never truly be happy, having to grow up so fast. You’ve proven you’re strong, and you know what you want. If Arizona is who your heart wants, then I’m happy for you. She’s already proven to be good for you, and for Amelia.”

“Amelia adores her, she adores all the Robbins actually. They’ve become family to both of us.”

“Count your blessings then. Most in-laws are monsters, have you met your grandparents?” Callie darted a look at him, seeing the mischief in his eyes. She’d never heard her father make a joke like that before. She couldn’t remember having ever heard him ever make a joke actually.

Finally she let out a small chuckle. “You’re something else, you know that?” She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug, relishing the feeling. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’m sorry your mom can’t see what’s important.”

“You’re not the one that needs to apologize. I just don’t understand her. I could never turn my back on Amelia,” Callie commented sadly.

“I don’t understand it either,” her father agreed.

“I think it’s best if we stay at the Robbins for awhile.”

Carlos shook his head. “You don’t have to leave, this is your home.”

Callie didn’t want to hurt her father’s feelings, but this house hadn’t been her home in a long time. Until she had entered the Robbins home, she didn’t know there was a difference, but now she’d found her home. “I think its best. I really can’t deal with seeing her right now, and there’s always that possibility if I’m here. But I promise I’ll keep in touch with you.” She was really starting to like the guy her dad was becoming.

Carlos finally conceded, knowing his daughter was right. He was going to try his damndest to make Lucia see reason. He had to, for all of their sakes. “Okay. Promise you’ll at least let me take you and Arizona out to dinner one night.”

“Of course. I’ll call you later and make plans.”

**~CA~**

Later that night, Callie ran her fingers over her precious car, saying goodbye for now. She didn’t really drive it now anyway and there wasn’t room at the Robbins’ to store both it and her SUV.

“You okay, sweetie?” Arizona asked, as she loaded more of Callie and Amelia’s stuff into the back of the SUV.

“Are you sure your parents are okay with having permanent house guests?” Callie questioned, forgetting she’d already asked that.

“Yes, they are fine with it.”

“What about us? I mean, isn’t this kind of like moving in together. That’s kind of fast don’t you think?”

Arizona knew there was more going on in Callie’s head than she was saying. She wasn’t sure what the right thing to say would be, so she had to tread lightly. “You don’t have to stay in my room, there’s a perfectly good bed in Amelia’s room. There’s also Tim’s room. It’s not like he really uses it anyway. The only real difference is you can sleep in now on school days, because you won’t have to get Amelia up and ready, then drive to my house to drop her off.”

“Ooh, I like that idea,” Callie agreed. Although she knew Amelia would likely still be up early because she was used to it, but they wouldn’t have to rush now. Still, it would be weird no longer sleeping, at least on occasion, in the house she’d grown up in.

Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie’s waist, giving her a soft kiss. “Come on, let’s go home,” she whispered.

“Home. I like the sound of that,” Callie breathed, feeling good about today for the first time in several hours. “Let’s go home.”


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

“Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man,” Arizona sang, holding Amelia’s hands within her own to help her clap. “Bake me a cake as fast as you can,” she smiled, getting smile in return from the babe.

“You like that one don’t you?” she asked after she’d sung it for about the 15th time. “How about we turn on some real music now and just dance? I’m out of songs.”

Flipping on the stereo, she settled the baby on her hip and started to move to the music. She was home alone with Amelia and enjoying every minute of the one-on-one time they had going on. It wasn’t often that she got her favorite little girl all to herself. Callie was out finishing her Christmas shopping, and she wasn’t allowed to go with her, because then Callie couldn’t get Arizona’s gift. She wasn’t sure where her parents were.

After dancing around the living room for the better part of a half hour, Arizona could see Amelia’s little eyes start to get tired. “We ready for some lunch then kiddo? Yeah I think so too,” she said, as if the little one had answered her.

“Yay! Pears,” Arizona exclaimed, as she began to feed Amelia. She understood Callie’s reasons for trying all of the veggies before fruits. But Arizona wasn’t fond of the smell, she much preferred the fruits.

“Want another bite?” the blonde asked, holding the spoon in front of Amelia. Instead of taking it, Amelia blew a raspberry, causing the pears on the spoon to go flying everywhere. Seeing a drop hit Arizona in the face, Amelia started laughing. “Oh you think that’s funny, do you? Alright fine, no more food.”

Wiping Amelia’s face and hands, she took the washcloth and almost empty container of baby food to the sink. She fixed up a fresh bottle before lifting the sleepy baby out of the highchair. Sitting in the rocking chair with Amelia tucked in her arms was definitely one of her favorite feelings in the world. Long after the bottle was discarded, and the little girl was asleep, Arizona sat there rocking with her, touching her softly. “Love you, baby girl,” she told the sleeping infant as she finally laid her down in her crib and left the room.

Heading to her own room, she picked up her cell phone, and checked to see if she’d missed anything in the last few hours. She had one text from Callie asking how they were doing and reminding her about dinner later, and a missed call from Tim. She sent off a quick text to her girlfriend, before calling Tim back.

“Hey bro. What’s up?” she greeted when he finally answered several rings later.

“Nothing much, just enjoying my day off,” he responded. “You?”

“Just laid Amelia down for a nap, now I’m all by myself with nothing to do.”

“Where’s Callie?” he inquired.

“She’s out shopping. Said I had to stay home so she could find my Christmas present,” Arizona sighed, missing her girlfriend. Since the two Torres’ had moved in a couple weeks ago, the two girls were pretty much attached at the hip.

“You’ll live,” Tim teased his sister.

“Is that why you called, to torment me?”

“No, actually I wanted to talk to you about your winter break,” he answered.

**~CA~**

“Callie, are you ready yet? We’re going to be late,” Arizona called up the stairs later that evening.

“We’re not going to be late,” Callie yelled back.

“Mommy?” Amelia questioned from her place on Arizona’s hip, staring up the stairs in the direction she’d heard her mother’s voice.

“Yeah, Mommy is making us late,” Arizona told Amelia. “We have to be there in 20 minutes, and it’s going to take us at least that long to get there.”

“We’re not going to be late,” Callie reiterated, finally coming down the stairs making Arizona speechless. Both girls were dressed up, but not to the extent they had been the night they went on their big date for Arizona’s birthday.

“Your dad is treating us to dinner. The least we can do is be on time,” Arizona explained.

“We are not,” Callie started again, placing a kiss on Arizona’s lips, “going to be late.” She placed another kiss on Arizona’s lips, before taking Amelia from the younger girl. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You really don’t play fair,” Arizona muttered as they made their way out to the SUV.

Pulling up to the restaurant with a minute to spare, Arizona jumped out to grab Amelia, while Callie handed over the keys to the valet. As they headed inside, Arizona became engrossed in smoothing out Amelia’s dress, as well as fixing her own as much as she could with a baby on her hip.

“You look fine,” Callie whispered, placing a kiss in the blonde’s hair. “She does too.”

“Ah, Miss Callie, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” the maître d’ greeted as they walked towards the podium. “Your father called to say he was running a few minutes late. Do you wish to be seated? We have your usual table all ready for you.”

“That would be great. Thank you.” As the gentleman heads into the restaurant, Callie motions for Arizona to follow, taking the rear for herself. “Can we get a highchair?” she asks taking in her surroundings of the private room. She’d eaten here often enough growing up, but today she was taking it all in with the eyes of a mother. Amelia was getting to the stage where she wanted to be more on the go. If she sat in their laps, she’d be trying to get to the floor. In a highchair, she’d be more likely to be content stationary.

“Of course, I’ll have someone bring it right out to you,” he promised, making his way back out.

“I told you we wouldn’t be late,” Callie said, turning to Arizona once Amelia was settled in her own seat. “It’s not that he tries to be late, but something always comes up.”

“Ah. Well you could have told me that,” Arizona grumbled, trying to act mad. She was happy that at least they weren’t making Callie’s father wait on them.

“Eh, but where’s the fun in that?” Callie teased, placing a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. Arizona turned her head, to go in for a real kiss, but was interrupted.

“Sorry I’m late, girls,” Carlos apologized. “Had to deal with an issue at the office. Have you been here long?”

“Just a few minutes is all,” Callie answered for them.

“And I see you brought my granddaughter with you,” he said with a smile, moving over to the baby to play with her for a moment. He made the invitation for both girls, but wasn’t sure if they’d bring Amelia or not. He knew Arizona’s mother was the one that watched her during the day, so he wasn’t sure if they’d leave the baby with her.

“We try not to leave her as much as possible,” Callie answered the unasked question.

Carlos turned to Arizona, “and you’re okay with that?” Even though he knew this girl made his daughter extremely happy, he had to be sure she was right for both Callie and Amelia.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” the blonde shot back without thought. “I love spending time with her just as much as Callie does.” It was the answer he must have been looking for because he dropped the subject straight away.

“So what have you girls been up to?” Carlos asked, effectively changing the subject. From there the conversation flowed easily between them. He listened with interest as they filled him in on their lives, soaking up all of the things he’d missed with his daughter and granddaughter.

He’d spent the last few weeks trying to get his wife to apologize and accept the person, the woman, their daughter was becoming, but so far he’d had no success. He couldn’t understand why Lucia was so adamant. How she could cut their daughter out of her life so easily.

“Ba ba ba,” Amelia babbled, wanting to join the conversation.

“Do you want your bottle?” Callie asked her daughter. Noticing the time, she realized that is probably exactly what Amelia is asking for. Their food had come and went, but they’d all been so busy chatting, nobody had realized how late it had gotten. “She says ‘mommy’ now, but refuses to say anything other than ‘ba,’ which is either her just talking, or her asking for her bottle,” she informs her father.

Arizona had already begun getting the bottle out of the diaper bag as soon as Callie asked the question to her daughter. Pulling the little girl into her lap, Callie took the bottle from Arizona.

“Do you mind if I hold her while she eats?” Carlos asked hesitantly.

“Um, sure,” the young mother responded. Moving around the table, she gently sat her daughter down on her father’s lap. “She mostly holds the bottle on her own now, but as tired as she is, you’ll probably have to help her.”

“I’ve got this Calliope, quit your worrying,” he off-handedly replies.

Amelia, for her part, doesn’t seem to mind whose holding her, so long as that person has the food she wants. Little eyes stared up at her grandfather as she slowly drank from her bottle. There is something so serene and calming about having a baby in your arms as they fall asleep, trusting you completely. It was a memory Carlos would store with regret, not having had the same with his own child.

“We should probably get her home,” Callie suggested when she noticed Amelia sound asleep.

“Of course,” her father agreed, slowly handing the baby back to her mother. “Give me your valet ticket. I’ll get them to pull it up so you don’t have to wait with her in the cold,” Carlos offered as the girls prepared to leave.

“Thank you, Dad,” Callie smiled as she handed over the ticket.

“No problem sweetie, see you outside.”

A few minutes later, the two girls headed out the front doors and into the waiting vehicle, buckling in the sleeping baby as carefully as possible so as not to wake her.

“Thanks for dinner,” Callie told her father, surprising him by giving him a giant hug. It was a habit she’d picked up from the Robbins, and now it seemed like second nature to her.

“You’re welcome. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“Definitely,” Callie agreed.

“Goodnight girls.”

“Night, Mr. Torres,” Arizona called as she climbed into the passenger seat.

As soon as the car was heading down the street towards home, Callie took one of Arizona’s hands within her own, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. “Tonight was good.”

“It really was,” Arizona admitted. “I’m glad your dad is getting more involved. I know how much that means to you.”

“Yeah, he’s not the same guy he was just a year ago. It’s nice.” They rode the rest of the way in silence, enjoying the night.

As soon as they made it into the house, the two girls headed straight upstairs. They each placed a kiss on the baby before putting her in her crib for the night. Slipping quietly out of the room, they moved towards their own, in silent agreement that, they too, were ready for bed.

Having partially lived together for some time now, and really living together for the last few weeks, they had both become more comfortable with each other, but still weren’t ready to take that last step. They were getting closer. Now it was just a matter of things falling into place. Caring for an infant made it a little harder to decide when they might be ready. That didn’t mean they didn’t have some over-the-clothes kind of fun before finally falling asleep each night.

**~CA~**

Rolling over in bed, Arizona attempted to cuddle closer to her girlfriend, only to find her missing from bed. Opening her eyes, she searched the darkness, but there was no movement. Landing on the baby monitor, she noticed it’d been flipped off. No matter how sound asleep she was, Amelia’s cries would always wake up Callie. They would almost always wake Arizona as well, but the few times they didn’t, Callie would turn off the monitor before checking on Amelia so that Arizona could continue to sleep.

Amelia slept through the night most nights. It was rare that she didn’t, and the times she did wake up, it didn’t take much to get her back to sleep. So when Callie hadn’t returned ten minutes after Arizona woke up, she figured she’d better go investigate and make sure everything was alright.

As soon as she was out in the hallway she heard what she couldn’t before. Amelia was not a happy baby at all. Callie’s back was to the door when she entered, slowly rocking Amelia back and forth, but still, Amelia was crying.

“Mama, mama, mama!” the little one cried.

“Shh, mija, mommy’s here,” Callie whispered, but it wasn’t working. Her daughter had been crying for how long she didn’t know. She couldn’t figure out for the life of her what was wrong. She’d tried every trick she could think of to get her to settle down, but nothing was appeasing her baby. She just continued to cry, looking around the room.

“Mama!” Amelia cried again, wiggling in her mom’s arms.

“Hey, what’s all the noise?” Arizona asked softly, with a smile, walking further into the room. Hearing the other girl’s voice, Callie turned with Amelia in her arms so that they could both see the blonde girl walk towards them.

“Mama!” Amelia cried again, reaching a hand out towards Arizona.

Arizona reached out, lifting Amelia as she fell into her arms. The little girl curled into her chest, and took a deep calming breath. Her crying quickly ceased, only to be replaced by hiccups from screaming so long. Arizona ran a soothing hand down the baby’s back. “What’s a matter? You being a trouble-maker for Mommy?”

“Mama,” Amelia whispered this time, curling deeper into Arizona’s chest, relaxing finally. Warmth spread through Arizona’s body as Amelia’s meaning took hold.

Realization dawned on Callie’s face in that moment. She hadn’t given it much thought before, focused on getting Amelia to calm down. Now she could see it though. Her daughter hadn’t been crying for her, she’d been crying for Arizona.

Arizona recognized the look on her girlfriend’s face before she disappeared from the room. It was the same look she had the night of Arizona’s birthday, and several times since. Only this time it was much more pronounced.  She rocked Amelia for a good five minutes after she fell asleep, to ensure she’d stay asleep once she put her back in her crib, before following Callie.

She found her girlfriend sitting on the edge of their bed, elbows propped up on her knees, head tucked into her hands, deep in thought. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asked softly, kneeling down so that they were face-to-face. When she still didn’t get a response, she tried again. “I know something’s been bugging you, so let’s talk about it.”

“I let my daughter cry for a half hour tonight because I didn’t realize what she wanted. She was crying for you. She wanted you. You’re ‘mama.’ I didn’t even realize she wasn’t crying for me,” she paused gathering her thoughts. While she was a little upset that her daughter didn’t want her, she also knew that she wasn’t rejecting her, Amelia just needed something she thought Arizona could give her this time.

“I realized awhile ago that she was starting to look to you as a parent. It was just weird hearing her call you one. How she even knew to do that,” Callie thought out loud. “And I can’t help but think how unfair all of this is to you.”

“Unfair?” Arizona asked, not understanding.

“You’re 18 years old. You haven’t had a chance to live yet. I’m not sure it’s fair to push all of these responsibilities onto you,” Callie honestly replied.

“You’re 18 too,” Arizona pointed out.

“Yes, but I got pregnant. You didn’t.”

“Oh, so I have a choice and you don’t?” Exasperated now, Arizona stood up and moved away.

“Basically, yeah,” Callie answered, as if it was obvious.

Arizona paced back and forth across the room for several minutes, trying to think of what to say and how to phrase it so that Callie would understand. There was no choice for her.

Finally, she sat down next to her girlfriend, took her hands within her own, and forced the other girl to look at her. “There is no choice for me either. I may not have given birth to her, or was even there for her conception, but I still feel very much like she’s mine. No matter what happens with us, I will always love her as if she is my own. If it is a choice, well then I choose to be her mother, so long as that’s okay with you.”

“I know how much you love her, and she loves you. I just don’t want you one day resenting me for forcing this on you,” Callie admitted her fears.

“That will never happen,” Arizona promised, placing a kiss on Callie’s lips. “I was in love with you long before we ever kissed for the first time. I knew what being with you meant. Still I chose you, because I love you, and I love Amelia.”

“I love you, too, Mama,” Callie teased, finally feeling better now that they’ve talked. She believes every word Arizona spoke, because the truth was there in her eyes the entire time. “Maybe we should get some sleep now, before _our_ daughter wakes up again,” she suggested, having no hesitation about sharing claim to her daughter.

“Agreed.” Arizona couldn’t help the smile that took over her face then. She was a mother now, and someday maybe they could make that legal. She couldn’t wait.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,” Arizona read in her best story telling voice. Amelia was tucked close to her in her lap, with the book lying across the both of them. Her mouth was level with the baby’s ear as she read over the little girl’s shoulder. “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,” ending the line in a high, excited tone.

Amelia giggled at her mama’s antics, slapping the book with both hands, before leaning back into Arizona’s chest. She was fresh from her bath, and looking adorable in her new Christmas pajamas that made her look like a little elf. If Arizona had her way, she would have had a matching hat and pointed slippers, but Callie had nixed that idea.

“There you two are,” Callie says, entering Amelia’s room as Arizona was nearing the end of the story. “I was wondering where you’d both disappeared to,” she utters as she sits down on the floor next to the rocking chair. She’d been playing a game with Tim and it took a while before she realized Arizona hadn’t brought Amelia back down after her bath to say goodnight.

Arizona gave her girlfriend a quick smile before turning back to the book to finish up. “Alright little miss, time for bed,” she told Amelia as she closed the book. “Gotta get to sleep so that Santa can bring you presents.” Giving the little one a hug and kiss, she handed her over to Callie to do the same.

“Sweet dreams, mija,” Callie wishes her daughter as she lays her down in her crib. The two girls quietly made their way out of the room, Callie hitting the light switch as she passed through the doorway.

“Until we claimed we were too old for it, my dad would always read us that story on Christmas Eve,” Arizona starts to explain as they made their way downstairs. “I thought it was a tradition I could carry on with Amelia.”

Taking her girlfriend’s hand, Callie places a kiss on her cheek. “I think it’s sweet,” Callie tells her honestly. “Although you know it’ll still be a couple years before she’s old enough to understand who Santa is.”

“You’re never too young to be excited about Santa,” Arizona responded, sticking her tongue out. “And she knows who Santa is, she loved having her picture taken with him,” she points out.

“Whatever you say, sweetie.”

“Alright Mr. Air Force,” Arizona says, clapping her hands together as they entered the living room where the rest of the family is. “Time to help me get that thing together,” she tells her brother, pointing at the large box in the corner of the room. Tim follows his sister and the two quickly get to work.

“Are you sure you’re okay with us having that up in the house?” Callie asked the two elder Robbins. While the house wasn’t tiny, it wasn’t exceptionally large either.  Arizona wasn’t the only one that had fallen in love with the princess castle playhouse, but she didn’t want it to be an inconvenience, especially as Amelia was still a little young to do more than crawl in and out of it.

“Of course dear,” Barbara assured with a wave of her hand. “It’ll fit nicely in her play area for now. By the time she’s old enough to really enjoy it, it’ll be summer and we can take it outside then.”

“So long as you’re sure.” It had been the plan from the beginning to take it outside once it got warmer. In fact Callie had thought about just saving it as a birthday present, but Arizona insisted she needed it for Christmas, and Callie was no match for Arizona’s pout.

Callie sat with Barbara and Daniel, drinking hot chocolate while they watched Arizona and Tim attempt to put the structure together. It was interesting to watch, Tim trying to read the instructions, Arizona claiming they didn’t need them and calling them ‘destructions.’ When they finally finished the thing several hours later, Arizona smiled as she placed a large bow on the little door.

“Is it safe?” Callie asked her girlfriend, going over to the castle and wiggling it to make sure it held together.

“It’s perfect, thank you very much,” Arizona stated proudly. “And the best part is, it’s big enough I can sit inside it with her,” she exclaimed.

Callie just rolled her eyes, giving her girlfriend a quick kiss. Sometimes she wondered if she was dating a five year old. Still, she wouldn’t trade Arizona for anything in the world. In the last few weeks, the blonde had become even more involved with Amelia, if that was possible. She acted even more like a mother, wanting to be more involved in decisions, and Callie couldn’t help but fall in love with her more.

She thought for sure Barbara or Daniel would have something to say on the matter the first time they heard Amelia call Arizona ‘mama,’ but all Barbara did was smile a knowing smile, and Daniel didn’t react at all. They soon both got into the habit of calling themselves grandparents. The whole atmosphere in the house changed, as if everything was now right with the world.

“Come on my other child,” Callie teased. “We best get to bed,” she suggested, knowing Arizona’s excitement was likely to wake them long before the baby did. She wanted to get in as much sleep as she possibly could. “Goodnight everyone.”

“Night girls,” Daniel called out for the group.

“I can’t wait to see her open her presents,” Arizona said excitedly as they crawled into bed.

“Don’t expect too much, she’s only eight months old,” Callie reasons.

“Still, it’s going to be so much fun.”

“Okay.” Callie gives her one last kiss before quickly falling asleep.

**~CA~**

“Merry Christmas,” Arizona huskily whispered in Callie’s exposed ear, nibbling on it gently. “Wakey, wakey,” she whispered again, this time kissing her girlfriend’s cheek.

“Too early, go back to sleep,” Callie grumbled, turning so she was now facing Arizona. Snuggling close, she nuzzled her face into Arizona’s chest, causing the younger girl to laugh.

“You’re so cute in the morning.” Normally Amelia is always the one to wake them, so they don’t really get quiet mornings like this one. Arizona had actually been awake for almost a half hour now, but let Callie sleep a little longer before trying to wake her.

“Not cute, badass,” the raven-haired girl mumbled, still trying to hold on to sleep.

“Still cute, and if you wake up now, we can get in some kissing time before the babe wakes up,” Arizona tried to entice.

Brown eyes snapped open, and a head lifts to look her girlfriend in the eyes. “Oh yeah? I like that plan.”

“I thought you might,” Arizona admited, as she moved so she was face-to-face with Callie. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on her love’s lips. Teasingly, she pulled back quick, then went in for a second and third kiss. She kept it up until Callie can’t stand it anymore and grabs Arizona’s head, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

“That’s more like it,” Callie whispers. Opening her mouth this time, she let Arizona inside, loving the feel as their tongues met. She never thought she could feel this good just by kissing, but it’s beginning to be one of her favorite feelings in the world. She can’t even imagine what it’ll be like when they finally make love. She’s sure it’ll be amazing though.

Taking control, Arizona rolled them so she was on top of Callie, pushing deeper into the older girl’s mouth. Their bodies craved for as much contact as possible, as Arizona kissed her way down Callie’s cheek and down to the curve of her neck, suckling gently.

They were playing with fire and they both knew it. The knowledge alone wasn’t enough to stop Callie from running her hands under Arizona’s shirt, caressing the skin of her back, and then along her side, hesitantly touching the sides of her breasts. “Calliope,” Arizona sighs, taking in the feel. Leaning down for another kiss, she’s contemplating taking their shirts off, wondering what the skin to skin contact will feel like.

“Mommy, Mama, num num,” crackles over the baby monitor.

Arizona rolled off of Callie and lies down next to her, trying to catch her breath. “That kid has impeccable timing,” she mutters between deep breaths.

“That she does,” Callie agreed, trying to get herself back under control as well.

“Num num!” came again, this time louder.

“And apparently she’s starving,” Arizona teased.

“Sounds like it. I’ll get her,” Callie offered, feeling like maybe she could finally stand.

“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” After Callie was out the door, Arizona finally attempted to get up. She wasn’t about to admit it to Callie, but their little make out session got her extremely worked up. Grabbing a change of panties, she quietly headed into the bathroom so that she could get herself cleaned up.

Heading down the stairs a few minutes later, she headed straight for the kitchen. It was no surprise to find everyone else already there. Her father and brother both woke up early thanks to their military training, and her mother was always up early on Christmas getting a start on breakfast and Christmas dinner simultaneously.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” she greeted as she went around the room, placing a kiss on each person’s cheek.

“Mama,” Amelia squealed happily, dribbling the peaches back out of her mouth.

Arizona laughed and used the baby’s bib to wipe her off. “Eat your breakfast sweetie,” she told her, placing another kiss on the top of her head.

“Breakfast is ready,” Barbara called, as she started moving everything to the table. “Dig in,” she instructed.

Before serving herself, Callie took the smallest pancake and pulled it into tiny pieces, placing them on her daughter’s tray. Munching on the pancake would keep the baby entertained while the rest of them ate, plus it was a way to keep her involved in the family breakfast.

Conversation flowed as the food moved around the table. The Robbins’ each took turns sharing their favorite Christmas memories and how some things often varied based on where they were stationed at the time. Callie sat there taking it all in, wishing she had memories like these people did. She was grateful to be here now, because she knew this was one day she wasn’t going to forget.

After the table was cleared they moved into the living room and started on the stockings first. Callie and Arizona had, of course, filled one for Amelia with a few toys but mostly infant to toddler appropriate goodies. Callie was pleasantly surprised when she realized she had a stocking as well. She knew Arizona couldn’t have done it, since it was still empty before they went to bed last night, so she was grateful Barbara and Daniel had included her.

After the stockings were emptied and their loot sat in various piles around the room, it was time for presents. Arizona first grabbed Amelia and moved to show her the little playhouse that now sat in her area of the living room. As soon as she was on the floor, Amelia was crawling right for the door, wanting to check out the new object in her space. Arizona opened the small purple door for her, and the baby crawled her way inside, smiling as she sat in the middle of the little room.

“We’ll never get her out of there,” Callie commented when she saw the smile on her daughter’s face.

“She’ll come out, won’t you baby?” Arizona asked her. Moving to the tree, she grabbed one of the baby’s brightly wrapped presents and moved back in sight of Amelia. “Look what mama’s got for you,” she told her, encouraging her to come find out what it was.

Laughing, Amelia threw herself back on her knees, making her way towards Arizona. As soon as she was within reach, Arizona picked her daughter up and sat them both down on the couch next to Callie. The two girls helped her pull the paper away to discover the hidden treasure.

“Look, it’s your very own baby,” Callie said excitedly, pulling the soft doll out of the box and placing her in Amelia’s lap. Amelia wrapped her arms around the baby and did her best to give the baby kisses, resulting in a whole lot of slobber on the plastic head.

Tim moved to sit next to the tree and began handing out the presents. As soon as everyone had a gift in hand to start with, they began tearing into them. “Oh, Barbara, this is awesome,” Callie exclaimed, turning the pages of a small book.”

“What is it?” Arizona placed her chin on Callie’s shoulder to see what the girl was looking at.

“It’s a book of your mom’s favorite recipes. Thank you,” she said, sending a smile to the older woman. Since they moved in, Callie had been helping Barbara a lot with the cooking and she really enjoyed it. She’d obviously put the book together herself so the thought behind it was very much appreciated.

“You’re welcome.”

The presents from the girls to Arizona’s parents were from both of them because Callie wasn’t sure what to get them and needed Arizona’s help. Neither parent seemed to mind and enjoyed their gifts, especially the framed portrait they’d had taken of the two girls with Amelia. They’d decided to go all out and had individual pictures taken of each of them as well, and one of each of the girls with Amelia, as well as one of just the couple. A set of each was in another smaller package for them to do with as they pleased. Callie’s father would be receiving the same gift later that day.

“You spoil me way too much, Calliope,” Arizona chided as she opened her last gift from her girlfriend. She’d already opened a new outfit and accessories from her girlfriend as well as some other small keepsakes. But this last one was unexpected. It was a bracelet that matched the necklace Callie had given her for her birthday.

“No such thing,” Callie told her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

“I have one gift for you that can’t physically be held,” Arizona told Callie once all of the presents were opened. “We’re going on a little vacation.”

“We are huh?” Callie asked, looking suspicious.

“Tim invited us to come hang out for a week before we have to go back to school. We leave with him tomorrow.”

Callie gave her girlfriend an intense look. “I can’t possibly be packed by tomorrow.”

“That’s the surprise part. I’ve been secretly packing up yours and Amelia’s stuff. You just have to look through it to make sure I have everything and make adjustments, but other than that, you’re ready to go.”

A new meaning to something that had happened recently came to mind. “So my black shirt I was looking all over for the other day?”

“Packed,” Arizona smiled.

The blonde was good, Callie had to admit. She hadn’t suspected anything when she bugged Arizona over and over again asking if she’d seen it and Arizona denied knowing where it was. “You’re good.”

“Seems we have a casualty,” Daniel commented, breaking into the conversation. He pointed to what he was seeing on the floor. In all of the excitement, nobody had noticed Amelia falling asleep on top of a pile of wrapping paper with her new baby wrapped tightly in her arms.

“I’ll take her upstairs,” Arizona offered. She lifted the baby up gently so as not to wake her, then headed out of the room.

“Just as well she get her nap in now. That way she’ll be awake when my dad gets here. Thank you for inviting him by the way,” Callie told the people she looked to as her other parents.

“No problem. We’re excited to meet him. Besides, Christmas is about family, and you’re family, so that makes him family so by association,” Barbara reasoned.

When Arizona entered the room again, the five of them gathered around the TV, relaxing as they found a Christmas movie to watch. Arizona and Callie cuddled together on the love seat, while the other three shared the big couch. Other than Barbara getting up occasionally to check on the food, the movie was undisturbed. Just as it came to an end, Callie heard Amelia waking and ran up the stairs to get her ready for the day.

The doorbell rang while she was still upstairs, so Arizona answered, knowing who was on the other side of the door.  “Merry Christmas, Mr. Torres,” Arizona greeted as she let the older man into the house.

“You too, Arizona. And please, call me Carlos,” he offered. He knows how informal his daughter is with her girlfriend’s family, so he feels he should offer the same to Arizona and her family.

She lead him over to the living room where everyone was still gathered, relaxing until it was time to eat. “Everyone this is Callie’s father, Carlos. That’s my mother, Barbara, my father, Daniel, and my brother, Tim,” she introduced, pointing each person out.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Carlos greeted.

“Come, sit down,” Barbara offered.

“Callie is just upstairs getting Amelia dressed. She passed out for her nap before we could get her out of her pajamas. She’ll be down in a moment,” Arizona informed him.

“Alright,” Carlos told her, sitting down on the love seat, placing a bag of gifts next to him. A silence fell on the room, no one knowing what to say. His eyes scan the room, taking in the feel of the house. Noticing the corner of the room chalked full of toys and the playhouse, he smiled. His granddaughter sure is spoiled in this home.

Callie came down a few minutes later, a chattering Amelia in her arms. “Merry Christmas, Dad,” she greeted when she saw the man on the couch. She handed him Amelia with no hesitation anymore.

“Merry Christmas, mija,” he told Callie. He reached down and pulled several packages out of the bag he brought, most were toys for Amelia, but there was one for Callie and Arizona, and one for Barbara and Daniel. “I wasn’t sure what to get you all,” he told them when they opened the envelopes to find several different gift cards and other prepaid cards for services at local businesses.

“This is perfect,” Arizona assured him, already planning some dates in her head.

“Thank you, Carlos,” Barbara told him sincerely.

The elder man seemed to enjoy the photos the girls had given him. “This one will go in my office,” he told them pointing to the one of Amelia smiling into the camera, a ball held in her lap. “And this one,” he decided, holding up the one of all three of them. He’d heard what Amelia called Arizona earlier and he knew what the score was now. Somehow the three of them had become their own little family. They might not be married, but for all intents and purposes, Arizona was now his daughter-in-law. And the picture was adorable.

The group made their way into the dining room a short time later and waited as Barbara and Arizona brought all the food into the room. Daniel cut the ham as the rest of the food made its way around the table. The Robbins family made sure to keep Carlos included in the conversation, asking him about his business and what he likes to do in his free time. To which he responded, “What free time?” earning a laugh from everyone.

The three seasoned parents seemed to hit it off, especially when Daniel invited Carlos to his den to smoke a cigar. The two were gone for over an hour and when they finally reappeared it was like they were best friends. For two men who really had nothing in common other than their daughters, they made it work in their favor.

“It was nice meeting you all,” Carlos told them as he headed for the door.

“You as well,” Barbara replied, surprising him with a hug. “Feel free to come back anytime. And no using the doorbell again. Family and friends just come in the side door. You’re family.”

“I will, thank you.” He gives both girls a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then gives Amelia one as well before finally leaving.

“Well this was a good day,” Arizona announced to know one in particular.

“Yes it was,” Callie agreed.

“Next up, vacation,” Arizona squealed excitedly with a devious smile. Callie doesn’t know it yet, but she has more in mind than just a small trip. She’d been planning this with her brother since he’d invited them a few weeks before. It was going to be a trip to remember for sure.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

“Sorry, it’s going to be a little cramped. Hope you don’t mind,” Tim tells the girls as they head down the interstate towards his place. “I only have the one bedroom so you three can have that and I’ll put up an air mattress in the den.”

“We don’t want to put you out,” Callie responds, hating the idea of kicking someone out of their own bed.

“Oh, it’s fine. Wouldn’t have invited you if it wasn’t,” Tim reassures. “We’ve lived under worse conditions. Haven’t we, sis?”

Arizona laughs at that one. “Yeah, we sure have. There was that one time when I was in about second grade. I don’t even remember where we were stationed at the time, but that place was tiny.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. Your room was the size of a small walk-in closet and I slept in the tiny laundry room. Thankfully we weren’t there more than four months,” he reminisced about the house his sister was talking about, but couldn’t remember the place either.

The rest of the drive was spent with the two siblings discussing the various places they’d lived growing up. Callie listened with interest, loving learning more about her girlfriend’s childhood. If it would come up in conversation, Arizona would mention one place here and there, but she never really just talked about it to talk about it.

Pulling off the road, Tim steered the car down a small concave driveway, passing the first duplex and stopping in front of the second one. “Well, here we are,” he called out as he turned off the car. Having lived in bases his entire life, he had decided to take a page out of his father’s book and found a place off base to call home.

“This is awesome, Timbo,” Arizona told him, staring at the small building. “What do you think baby?” she asked Amelia, who was now settled on her mommy’s hip. “You want to play here for a few days?” Amelia giggled, reaching out for Arizona, who happily took her. “Let’s go check it out,” she whispered into Amelia’s ear, giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Tossing the keys to Arizona, Tim described which one would unlock the door so that Arizona could get the little one out of the cold. Afterwards, he turned to help Callie get the luggage out of the back of his Avalanche.

“I can’t even imagine living in so many different houses,” Callie commented, trying to make conversation as they worked together. “I’ve lived in the same house my entire life. Well until the last month anyway.”

“Arizona told me what happened with your mother. I hope you don’t mind,” he quickly added.

“Of course not,” she assured. “Her and I have never really seen eye-to-eye on anything, but when I got pregnant that was pretty much the end of our relationship. Having a gay daughter was just the icing on the cake,” she admitted.

She had just given him an opening for a conversation he’d been hoping to have with her. “Are you? Gay I mean? You don’t have to answer that,” he told her. It wasn’t any of his business, but he felt he had to look out for his sister.

“I don’t honestly know. Before Arizona I’d never really given it any thought. Maybe for me, it’s about the person. I know I love Arizona though. I couldn’t imagine feeling about anyone else, the way I feel about her,” she admits.

Hearing the way Callie spoke about Arizona helped ease some of the worry he’d held since Arizona had first mentioned the other girl. “I’ve been worried about Arizona since the first day she told me about you, because I knew she’d fall hard for you. I was sure she’d end up hurt. I mean high school sweethearts don’t really last, do they? She sees forever with you. There’s no doubt in her mind about the two of you. It makes me worry.” He’d never been more honest with someone in his life, but he felt like Callie needed to hear this. Arizona was probably wondering where they were by now, so they had limited time to chat like this.

“I understand, I felt the same way until about two weeks ago,” she confided.

“What happened?”

“Amelia started calling Arizona ‘mama.’ After that, her and I had a talk about what I was feeling. I knew then that if such a thing as soul mates existed, then she is mine. I see forever with her too, just so you know,” she added finally.

“Good. Now we best get this stuff inside before she comes looking for us. I’m surprised she hasn’t already.”

“Me too,” Callie agreed.

They both headed inside, arms loaded with bags. You don’t realize how much a baby needs in a week, until you have to start packing it all up. There was no sign of the two in the living room or kitchen so Tim led them down the small hallway towards the bedroom. Peeking inside they were surprised to see Arizona lying down on her side with Amelia tucked in her arms. Both of them were sound asleep.

Tim leaned over so he could whisper in Callie’s ear. “Should we wake them up?” he asked.

“No, let’s let them sleep for an hour or so. Amelia missed her nap anyway.” They were hoping she’d sleep on the plane ride there, but that hadn’t happened. She hadn’t been fussy, she just couldn’t settle down. She kept wanting to move back and forth between her mothers and even her uncle Tim a few times.

“What should we do until then?”

Callie smiled widely. “Got any video games in this joint?”

**~CA~**

Eyes snapped open, trying to take in their surroundings. Stifling a yawn, Arizona tried to remember where she was. Seeing Amelia tucked in her arms, she vaguely recalled lying down with her. She’d been giving herself a tour of Tim’s home with the baby in tow when Amelia had started showing signs of being sleepy. She decided to try and get her to finally take her nap and must have fallen asleep herself.

“Sucker!” came a muffled yell through the closed door. The voice sounded like her girlfriend, but she’d never heard Callie talk like that before. Slowly sliding her arm out from under her little girl, she tucked pillows around her to make sure she didn’t fall off of the bed.  Once she was sure Amelia was safe for the time being, she headed out to investigate.

“Oh no. You didn’t,” Tim shouted at Callie, just as Arizona put her arms on the back of the couch and lean over to see what was going on.

“What’s going on here guys?” she asked, startling both of them.

“You girlfriend is cheating. That’s what’s going on,” Tim grumbled, before turning back to the game to find Callie was well ahead of him again.

“No, your brother is just a sore loser,” Callie taunted back.

Arizona let out a full blown laugh when she realized what they were playing. “You two are coming to blows over Mario Kart?”

“You bet we are!” came the answer from Tim.

Jumping over the back of the couch, Arizona settled next to Callie, making sure they were touching at all possible points. “I play next. We’ll see who the sore loser is then,” she goaded.

Callie took a quick glance at her girlfriend to see the mischievous smile on her face. “You’re on,” she told her.

“Told you!” Arizona exclaimed awhile later. “Nobody can beat me so long as I have Toadstool.”

“Alright, alright,” Callie conceded, knowing when to fold. She’d lost to Arizona on three different courses already. “I’m going to get Amelia up or she’ll never sleep tonight.”

A few minutes later Callie came back out to the living room with a wide awake Amelia in her arms. Callie set her up on the floor with some of the toys they’d brought. The room was fairly sparse, a couch and loveseat, TV mounted on the wall, an end table, and a lamp was all that was in the room. It was nice that at least they didn’t have to worry about Amelia getting into anything she shouldn’t. “We should probably find a way to keep her out of the kitchen,” Callie thought out loud. “We can keep the other doors closed when we’re not in the rooms, but there’s no stopping her from going in there.”

“There’s a Wal-mart right down the street. We can get one of those baby gates,” Tim told them. “Speaking of which, what do you guys feel like for dinner? I don’t really have any groceries in the house so I thought we’d go out tonight. Then pick some food up later.”

“Sounds good,” came from Arizona. “What’s around?”

“Well we have the normal fast food places. But there’s also an Applebee’s and a Chili’s right down the street. Further down there’s Panda Express if you’re feeling Chinese. Or there’s Rumbi Grill.”

“What’s Rumbi Grill?” Callie asked.

“It’s Hawaiian. Really good food,” Tim encouraged. He’d tried it with some buddies from work and really enjoyed it. He wanted to take the girls there at least once while they were here. He knew Arizona would love it, especially since she loved all things teriyaki.

Arizona and Callie exchanged a look, silently asking if that was okay. “Let’s try that then,” Arizona finally answered for them both.

“Cool. Wal-mart is on the way home, so we can stop for some groceries afterwards.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

**~CA~**

“This is the most delicious teriyaki chicken I have ever had,” Arizona moaned. “They need one of these restaurants by us.”

Callie laughed, seeing the look on her girlfriend’s face. She couldn’t help but picture that same face on her under different circumstances. A tingle of pleasure shot through her as she pictured a different scenario in her head. One that wasn’t appropriate considering all of the people around them, one being the blonde’s own brother.

Shaking off her very intimate thoughts, she gave Arizona a smile. “You’re such a dork.”

“Hey! It’s amazing. You should try it,” Arizona suggested.

“Let me have a bite then.”

“No way, Jose! I’m not sharing, it’s too good.”

“Tell mama she’s a meanie,” Callie whispers none too quietly to Amelia, who was happily playing in her high chair.

“Mama,” the little girl giggles. “Mama, mama.”

“Back fired on ya didn’t it?” Arizona laughs. “Seems the kid is on my side.” Leaning over the corner of the table, she places a loud kiss on Amelia’s cheek, earning a squeal from the little girl. “Mmm, I can’t seem to resist those baby cheeks. Just too freaking cute,” she tells the table, not that she needs to, they’ve all seen her kiss the baby’s cheeks time and again.

A half hour later they were heading into the grocery side doors of Wal-mart, grabbing a shopping cart. Arizona hooked Amelia into the seat and started pushing her way through the store. Amelia laughed and jabbered as her mama made the cart do different things.

“Excuse me, where are the baby gates?” Callie asked the first person she saw wearing the standard blue shirt and khaki pants. She wanted to make sure they grabbed that first, before they forgot.

“Let me show you,” the 20-something associate told them, leading them through the store to the infants department.

“Thank you,” Callie told her once they stood in front of the desired item.

“No problem. She’s a cutie,” the associate pointed at Amelia before walking off to go back to work.

“How wide would you say that doorway is?” Callie asked Tim, looking at the different choices. Arizona watched as her brother and girlfriend scrutinized each of the items before deciding on the best one. You’d think the two had known each other much longer than they have by the way they were with the other. Arizona was happy they got along so well.

“Do you think we should get the jars of baby food while we’re here?” Arizona asked as they made their way back over to the grocery side, passing the baby food aisle in the process.

Callie turned to Tim. “Do you have a blender?”

“Yes, I do.”

The older girl turned back to her girlfriend. “Then let’s just grab some rice cereal and her snacks. I’d prefer to keep making homemade food for her.”

“Alright.”

By the time they were heading up to the register the cart was completely full. They’d grabbed whatever their heart felt like as they walked down each aisle. Callie offered to pay for some of it, insisting that she should at least pay for Amelia’s stuff, but Tim wasn’t taking the bait. It was his idea for them to come out for the week, so he was ready to put up the bill for them being there.

By the time they made it back to Tim’s house, Amelia was starting to get fussy. Callie took her inside and got her ready for bed, while the Robbins siblings worked to bring in the bags and put everything away. They were just putting the last few items in the pantry when Callie walked back out with baby monitor in hand. “She’s out like a light,” she told the other two.

“I was thinking tomorrow we could go down to Salt Lake City to see some different things down there. We could even take the Front Runner, it’s like a commuter train or something, or we could drive, doesn’t matter.”

“Sure, that sounds fun,” Arizona told him.

“Unfortunately I have to work a few of the days you’ll be here, so I wanted to try and do the fun stuff first,” Tim admitted sadly. He was hoping to spend the entire week with his sister and her little family, but his schedule had changed last minute.

“It’s fine, we know how to keep ourselves occupied,” Callie assured him. She’d brought some of her school books to do some studying and she knew Arizona had done the same. They could probably have a girl’s-day-out while he was gone as well.

“Alright, cool. A buddy is letting me borrow his extra vehicle for the week so that you two can take the avalanche if you want it. He’s bringing it by first thing tomorrow.”

“Well, I think I’m going to go to bed. I know it’s early but it’s been a long day,” Callie told them.

“Yeah, me too,” Arizona faked a yawn, not convincing anyone. She wasn’t about to let Callie go to bed alone though. She liked their snuggle time before sleeping.

“See you two in the morning then,” Tim waved them off with a smile. They really were a cute couple. He was happy they’d found each other. When Arizona first talked to him about her plan to surprise Callie he’d been wary. Having seen them together the last few days and talking to Callie some, he was no longer worried and just hoped it was everything Arizona thought it would be.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Arizona was the first one to wake one morning as she snuggled deeper into her girlfriend’s side, sighing in contentment. It likely wouldn’t be long before Amelia was awake and ready for the day, so she wanted to enjoy the moment of quiet with both of her girls in the room.

They’d been in Utah for a few days now and so far they’d had a lot of fun.  The trip to Salt Lake resulted in a trip to The Gateway Mall where Arizona insisted on getting a cute little bunny from the Build-A-Bear workshop for Amelia. Of course the blonde fell in love with one of the bears as well and they came out of the store several hundred dollars later with stuffed animals for all three girls.

They’d also seen one of the movies at the planetarium. Leaning back in their chairs and watching the scenes play out above their heads was amazing. Amelia wasn’t too impressed, of course, with the whole trip, but the teenagers had found all the little facts they’d learned pretty interesting.

Next stop was the Children’s Museum which was a lot more fun for Amelia. While she wasn’t able to fully appreciate all of it, she still seemed to enjoy their time there. They had an especially hard time getting her to leave The Garden since she was having too much fun playing with all of the balls. They had already decided they needed to come back some day when she was a little older.

Movement from the portable crib across the room snapped her out of her reminiscing and back to the present. She watched with a smile on her face as her little girl sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She made several attempts to pull herself into a standing position before giving up, not quite able to do that yet, but it didn’t stop her from trying.

Putting a finger to her own lips, Arizona tried to keep her from calling out, not wanting to wake Callie just yet. Amelia seemed to understand and put her hands in the air, her signal for wanting to be picked up. Gently pulling out of Callie’s arms, she moved slowly off the bed without waking the other girl. Internally applauding herself, she picked the little girl up and quietly left the bedroom.

“Want some breakfast?” she asked Amelia as soon as the door was shut behind them.

Amelia stared up at Arizona with a smile, shaking her head yes. “Num num.”

“I thought so,” the blonde whispered to her. “We better change your diaper first, it’s feeling pretty full down there.”

After a quick diaper change, the two girls found Tim in the kitchen, attempting to make pancakes. He seemed to be doing alright, so Arizona left him to it, and grabbed Amelia’s breakfast. They didn’t have a highchair, so Arizona settled the baby on her lap and began to feed her.

“Did you sleep okay?” Tim asked.

“Yep, slept just fine. Of course I always sleep great when Callie’s with me,” she admitted.

“Good,” was all the answer Tim managed to give. He wasn’t really sure how else to respond to that statement. Even though he was happy for his sister, it was still a little weird see her all in love. She was his baby sister after all.

“Something sure smells good,” Callie stated as she entered the room. “Good morning,” she told the room, placing a quick kiss on her daughters head, and a peck to Arizona’s lips.

“Morning,” Arizona smiles.

“What are your plans for today?” Tim asked them as he set a plate full of hot pancakes on the table for them to dig into. It was now Friday, one of the days he had to go into work for a little while.

“We were thinking of taking a little self-guided tour of the city,” Arizona answered for both of them. Over the last few days Tim had taken them around to places friends had told him, but they’d yet to really explore the city he actually lived in. “Maybe check out that Treehouse Museum you were talking about.”

“Sounds fun,” he responded. “I don’t know how different it is from the Children’s Museum, but I’m sure Amelia will still like it. There’s also the Air Force Museum just off base. That would be more for you two though. Most of the planes are outside obviously, but there is an inside exhibit.”

Arizona looked at Callie, as if to ask if she wanted to check that out, who nodded her head that they could do that if she wanted. “We’ll have to check it out.”

“If you save it ‘til last I could maybe join you,” Tim told them. He knew his sister had big plans for tonight, but he didn’t know how soon she’d want to move on to that part of the night.

“We could do that,” Callie spoke this time, clueless as to what was going on in Tim’s and Arizona’s mind.

“Yeah, we could,” Arizona agreed, figuring it should be fine so long as they didn’t spend too much time there. Still, she wanted to see it, and it would be nice to see it with her brother who knew more about what was in there. She knew a lot about the army from her dad, but didn’t know much about the air force.

**~CA~**

Several hours and several museums later, they were headed towards their last one for the day. With it being winter there wasn’t much else to do. They’d made the best of it though and had a lot of fun in the process. Arizona made sure to capture as much as possible with the camera, never wanting to forget a moment of what she had quickly come to think of as their first family vacation.

Making sure Amelia was still well bundled up, Callie pulled her from her carseat and settled her down in her stroller before making their way to the entrance of the Air Force Museum. Tim was already waiting for them just inside the doors.

 “You sure both of you still want to be doctors and not fly one of these things?” Tim asked, pointing at one of his favorite jets.

“Really sure,” Arizona laughed, giving her brother a pat on the shoulder.

They quickly made their way through all three buildings that made up the inside portion of the museum. Arizona sat in the mock cockpit exhibit with Amelia on her lap. The little one had fun trying to push the buttons, something she wasn’t normally allowed to do at home.

“If you two just want to follow me, I’ll show you the easier way to get back to the house from here,” Tim told them as they loaded Amelia into the avalanche.

“Alright,” Arizona responded, climbing into the driver’s seat. Tim gave her a look as if to ask if she’d told Callie about her plans yet. She shook her head no. He just rolled his eyes and walked over to his borrowed car.

Trudging into the duplex, Callie settled Amelia down on the floor where they’d set up some of her toys and let her play. “So what are we doing for dinner tonight?” she asked. It wasn’t that far from dinner time and she was starting to feel a bit hungry.

Hearing this, Arizona knew it was probably the best opening she was going to get. “Actually, Tim is going to baby-sit so you and I can sort of have a date.”

Callie raised a brow, studying Arizona closely. The other girl looked a little nervous and she couldn’t figure out why. “How do we sort of have a date?” she asked.

“Um,” she wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, or how to explain it to her girlfriend. “Do you trust me?” she settled on instead.

“Of course I do,” Callie answered without hesitation.

“Then, just trust me.”

“Okay,” Callie agreed, still not sure what was going on.

Arizona let out a sigh of relief, not only that Callie seemed to trust her so easily, but also for not worrying over Tim baby-sitting. The other girl had loosened up a bit, although she still had her over-protective moments. Her brother had, had a lot of experience with Amelia over the last few days and even during his time back at home, so she was hoping Callie would trust him enough now.

Arizona headed back into the bedroom to get ready first. This not only gave her a chance to wipe away the nerves away from questioning eyes, but also gave her all the time she needed to chat with her brother later while Callie got ready. It would also let Callie gauge the tone of the night, without asking by seeing how Arizona was dressed.

While her girlfriend took her turn getting ready, Arizona went over Amelia’s schedule down to the tiniest detail. She also gave him information for every emergency scenario that could possibly arise, but likely never would. Suddenly she understood why Callie could be so protective as all of the ‘what ifs’ came to mind.

“Arizona, we’ll be fine. I promise,” Tim tried to soothe.

“Okay, okay.” Arizona tried to tell herself everything would be fine. It wasn’t just leaving Amelia that was worrying her, it was the whole night to come.

It took a half-hour of both girls saying goodnight to Amelia before they finally managed to leave the house. Both of them were feeling the nerves of leaving her with her uncle Tim, but were looking forward to spending some alone time together. It was something they didn’t get much of thanks to their own self-imposed rule of not wanting to put her off on others too often.

Tim had pre-set their destinations into the GPS system in his truck, so all they had to do was climb in the vehicle and it would lead the way. Luckily the restaurant Arizona had chosen didn’t require reservations since they were leaving a little later than she originally planned. Thankfully the Timbermine also didn’t have too much of a wait when they walked through the doors and they were seated within 20 minutes of arriving.

They both laughed when they saw there was teriyaki chicken on the menu, it seemed to be the food of their relationship if there was such a thing. Since they were in a nice steakhouse though, they decided to skip that and go for steak. Arizona went for the 10oz Claim Steak which promised to be a delicious New York Steak, while Callie went for the smaller 8oz Gold Rush that was described as a bacon wrapped tenderloin.

As they ate conversation flowed as it always did. Holding hands across the table had become a habit, but was harder to do having to cut their steak. After having to let go for the third time, Arizona got the idea to cut her steak up into reasonable pieces all at once, and Callie did the same. Finally they could enjoy their food and still be touching the way they needed too.

“I have something to tell you about the rest of the night,” Arizona started, gathering her courage. Their plates were almost gone and she knew the next item on the agenda would be coming soon.

“Okay,” Callie encouraged.

“I rented a hotel room, well technically my brother did since I don’t have a credit card, but yeah we have a hotel room,” Arizona started rambling. “We don’t have to do anything, but I thought maybe you might want to. If not we can just relax for awhile without interruption. And we don’t have to stay the whole night, we can leave whenever you want. But we do have the room… for the night,” she finally finished, taking a deep breath.

Now Callie understood why Arizona had been acting so nervous all night. She was feeling the same suddenly. She stayed silent as Arizona paid the check and lead the way back to the truck. She should probably say something to Arizona, but she couldn’t figure out how to respond to the information and images floating in her mind.

“We can forget the whole thing if you want, just go home,” Arizona broke the silence as she started up the avalanche.

Callie could hear the emotion in the blonde’s voice. “No, I want to go,” she finally managed to get out.

Pulling up to Ben Lomond Suites, Arizona found a parking spot and shut the car off. Climbing out quickly, she ran around to the passenger’s side and held the door open for Callie, taking her hand as they walked towards the building. Checking in quickly, they thanked the woman as she handed them their key.

“This hotel is supposedly haunted,” Arizona idly chatted as they waited for the elevator. “Actually it’s the most known in Ogden for its hauntings,” she continued, her nervousness coming out. “I made sure we didn’t have one of those rooms though.”

Callie smiled at how cute Arizona was at that moment. She kind of liked this side of her girlfriend. She always seemed so confident and sure of herself, it was a fresh change.

They hesitated outside the door to their room, neither of them wanting to make that next move. It was very likely their relationship would change once that door closed behind them. Callie took the keycard from Arizona and slowly placed it in the lock, turning the knob when the light went green.

Their eyes both widened as they entered the room, it was more than even Arizona had imagined it would be and she at least had a preview via the hotels website. In front of them was a small seating area with a decent size TV and a desk. Across from that was a small area equipped with a sink, mini fridge, and microwave. A half wall separated the seating area from the sleeping area. The king size bed seemed to be making its presence very noticeable to both girls.

“What do you want to do?” Arizona almost whispered. Both of them still stood just inside the door, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Arizona started taking off her coat, prompting Callie to do the same, throwing them both onto the small couch.

This whole thing was Arizona’s idea, but Callie was quickly realizing she’d probably have to take the lead. She was scared as hell, but she wanted to try. She wanted their first time to be special and for them to be able to explore each other and this might be their only chance to have some truly uninterrupted time to do that.

Taking Arizona’s hand, she walked them through the room, stopping just shy of the bed. Pulling Arizona to her, she placed a deep kiss on her lips. It was shy, but passionate at the same time. As the kiss continued they began to lose themselves in the moment, not over-thinking what they were about to do.

Pulling away, Callie placed her hands on Arizona’s shoulders, guiding her to sit on the bed. Squatting down, she touched the hem of Arizona’s shirt, pulling up on it slowly. Arizona raised her arms, helping Callie release her from her shirt, the two kissing again once the garment was thrown to the floor. Callie’s shirt was next once their kiss ended.

Arizona laid back so that Callie could help her discard her pants. Leaning on her elbows, she then watched as the Callie slowly pulled her pants down her hips, wiggling and bouncing as she kicked them away. “Beautiful,” Arizona breathed out as she stared at her girlfriend in only a bra and panties.

“Gorgeous,” Callie whispered back, cupping Arizona’s cheek and kissing her as she crawled over her. They slowly made their way to the head of the bed, neither stopping the kiss, hearts beating in tandem.

Arizona looked up at Callie, “I’m so nervous right now.”

“Me too,” Callie admitted, moving to lie beside Arizona and pulling her close. Placing a kiss on the smaller girl’s forehead, she took a deep breath. “I want to do this though.”

“So do I. I have for awhile now.”

The two girls exchanged one final look, both silently asking if the other was sure about what they were about to do. A little more awkwardness followed, but soon they found their rhythm and the outside world faded away as their passion for each other consumed them.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Arizona woke slowly to find her girlfriend on one elbow, leaning over her. Brown eyes were looking down at her, studying her closely. “Good morning,” Callie whispered, placing a tender kiss on Arizona’s lips.

“Mmm, you too,” Arizona moaned at the contact. “I had the best dream last night.”

“Oh yeah? What was it?” Callie was sure she knew what her girlfriend was about to say, but she’d play along anyway.

Arizona gave a mischievous smile. “I rented a hotel room and you and I had the whole night to ourselves without interruption.” She looked deeply into Callie’s eyes, trying to see if she was feeling everything Arizona was feeling this moment. Even looking at the other girl was now different after last night.

Callie returned her smile, running her fingers through blonde locks. “Sounds like a pretty good dream,” she agreed. “Good thing it was more of a reality though.”

Arizona’s heart warmed at that, relieved at something she didn’t even realize she’d been worried about. She had no regrets about the night before, but she hadn’t let herself consciously wonder if Callie did. She knew, now, that they both felt the same way. “I dunno, maybe we should try it again, make sure I wasn’t really just dreaming,” she teased with a seductive whisper.

Callie let herself fall off of her elbow onto her back, pulling Arizona close to her and placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’m not sure I’d survive. You kind of wore me out last night.”

That simple statement brought the memories of the night before to the forefront of both their minds. As they were stripped bare for each other, their hearts raced, knowing this moment would be one they’d remember for the rest of their lives.

_“This okay?” Callie asked in nervous anticipation as she laid her naked body over Arizona’s, silently moaning at the feel of skin-to-skin contact._

_Arizona could feel their hearts attempting to beat in sync as she looked up into her girlfriend’s unsure eyes. Her body moved on its own, trying to increase the contact, rubbing against Callie. “Yeah, it’s good,” she breathed._

_“Good,” Callie said, bending her head down to place a passionate kiss on Arizona’s mouth. As their tongues battled for dominance, their hands wandered, discovering places they’d never dared touch before. Their bodies rolled and arched, trying to feel as much of each other as they possibly could. No matter how far they rolled, they always came back to Callie on top._

_Out of nowhere Arizona started giggling into Callie’s mouth causing the other girl to pull back and study her girlfriend. “What’s so funny?”_

_“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Arizona laughingly admitted._

_Callie arched a brow at the girl under her, not sure where she was going with that. “Why is that funny?”_

_“Because the thought just popped into my head that it felt like we were wrestling…naked,” she added the last word as an afterthought._

_Callie let out a roar of laughter, having to agree with the other girl. “Yeah, I guess it kind of does. I have no idea what I’m doing either.”_

_Reaching a hand up, Arizona caressed Callie’s cheek tenderly, pulling her down for a gentle kiss. “We’ll figure it out together,” she promised. After that, their nervousness faded away as they got lost in each other._

“What time is it anyway?” Callie asked, looking around to see if she could see the time displayed anywhere, but not seeing it.

“I don’t know,” Arizona answered, smiling at the thought that Callie was asking her, when the other girl had been awake longer. Pulling back she leaned over the side of the bed and picked up the alarm clocked they’d knocked to the floor the night before. “It’s just after eight now,” she said, placing the clock back where it belonged.

“Did you give Tim a time when we’d be back?” Amelia had probably been up for some time now, and she had to wonder if the other Robbins sibling had, had enough baby-sitting for awhile. Her daughter could be a handful when she wanted to be.

“No. He told me to just enjoy ourselves and they’d be waiting whenever we decided to come back. I think he was looking forward to spending some time with Amelia. She’s got him wrapped around her finger if you haven’t noticed.” Her brother had easily stepped into the role of uncle, and Arizona loved seeing it.

“I’ve noticed,” Callie smiled. She’d never get over the warm feeling she had knowing how easily Amelia had slipped into the Robbins family, and how much they loved her. “We still should probably go rescue him soon. Taking care of her alone, is a lot different than just playing with her while we’re still around,” she pointed out.

That was true, Arizona admitted to herself. “At least he survived the night and didn’t call us a bunch of times. But you’re probably right. Having her in the morning isn’t as easy as it is at night.”

“She’s probably driving him crazy trying to get into everything,” Callie laughed at the thought. At night Amelia was more content to be in one place or focused on one thing, wore out from the day’s activities. In the mornings it was a whole different story. She was fresh and ready to go,  and wanted to be everywhere at once. With Tim’s house not exactly baby-proof, eyes needed to be watching constantly for any lurking dangers.

“Can we just lie here for a little while longer?” Arizona pleaded. She couldn’t wait to get back and see her baby, but she needed just a few more minutes to soak in the moment.

“Of course,” Callie easily agreed, pulling her lover closer and relishing the feel of their bodies so close together. “We’ll stay as long as you need.”

“Mmkay,” Arizona mumbled, closing her eyes again.

Apparently Callie wasn’t the only one worn out from the night before, Arizona was already falling back asleep in her arms. “I love you,” she whispered, placing a kiss on Arizona’s nose.

“Love you, too.”

**~CA~**

“Did you have fun?” Tim asked Arizona. It was the last night of their trip. The three girls would be flying back home the following morning. Callie was in the bathroom giving Amelia her bath and getting her ready for bed, leaving the two siblings alone.

“Yeah, it’s been fun. It’s been a _really_ good trip,” she adds the last part with a smirk on her face.

Tim moves to put his fingers in his ear in a childish manner. “Please no more. I don’t need to hear this.” So long as he kept telling himself that all Arizona and Callie did on their night out was cuddle on the couch and watch movies, he could live with helping them get a room. He refused to think anything else happened.

That didn’t stop Arizona from teasing him, however. “You don’t want to hear how fun it was?” she taunted. “What my favorite parts were?” the double meaning not lost on either of them.

“Lalala, can’t hear you,” he sang, plugging his ears again.

Arizona smiled, trying in vain to pull his hands from his ears. “Come on, bro. It’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is! No brother needs to hear about his baby sister’s relationships. EVER!” he emphasized.

The younger sibling laughs and wraps her arms around Tim, giving him a hug. “Alright I’ll try to be good,” she concedes. “Can’t promise anything though. I just love her too much, makes me want to say things that should never come out of my mouth.”

Tim gives up, realizing what it’s like for Arizona. The two had always talked about everything, it was habit, it was comfortable. They would both have to get used to the fact that not everything needed to be shared now. “Just please tell me you didn’t in my bed.” This was one thing he wanted to know, and didn’t want to know at the same time. Either way, he’d likely wash his sheets, twice, after they left just to be safe.

“Eww, no. First off, cause it’s your bed. Second, I can’t believe you think I’d do that with my daughter in the room. I don’t care how soundly she sleeps, that will never be happening.” She shuddered just at the thought.

“That’s another thing we haven’t really had a chance to talk about. You playing mommy.”

Arizona immediately took offense to her brother’s words. “I’m not playing anything!” she all but yelled, not wanting her girls to hear her in the other room. “Amelia is my daughter!”

Tim held up both hands in surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. Guess I should have worded it different.”

Arizona instantly calmed, seeing the truth in his eyes. Tim didn’t mean anything negative in what he said, he simply wanted to talk to her about this change in her life. “It’s okay. I guess I worry that people will have that reaction. That I’m just playing house and I’ll never be her mother. But I’ve felt like she was mine since the first time Callie put her in my arms.”

Watching them together, Tim already knew this. He wanted to hear it from Arizona though. The way she’d just blown up at him, also showed him there were things she needed to talk about. “She is yours. I could see it the last time I came home. All I meant by my earlier statement was the title, you’re ‘Mama’ now.”

Arizona smiled at the thought. The first time Amelia had called her that was a great night. She’d never forget that moment and how she felt. “Yeah. She did it all on her own too. She’s a smart little stinker. Callie and I had to have a big talk after it happened, but it just felt right to us I think.”

“Seems like it to me,” Tim agreed. He hadn’t noticed any hesitation from Callie when she’d referred to Arizona as mama. He was glad to know Callie as well as he did. Anyone else and he might think they were looking for someone to push their responsibilities off on. Callie wasn’t like that, quite the opposite in fact. It spoke a lot about the person his sister had chosen to spend her life with. “You two are good together.”

The grin that stole over Arizona’s face defied explanation. “We are. I never imagined my life turning out like this, but I wouldn’t change it. Those two girls are my everything.”

“I’m happy for you sis,” he told her honestly, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“I know it’s going to be hard, especially when we go off to college, but maybe that’s why we met now,” she theorized. It was something she’d given some thought to from time to time. Had they not met when they did, maybe Callie would struggle through school as a single mother. Maybe it would have been too much and she would have dropped out or changed goals to make it easier on herself. Maybe they would never have met otherwise. Arizona couldn’t bare that thought.

She already hated that she’d missed out on the first five months of Amelia’s life. She would have really liked to have been there for Callie’s pregnancy too, if only so the other girl had someone to turn to, especially all the days she sat next to her daughter’s bedside alone while she struggled to live.

They hadn’t decided where they were going to college yet. No matter what, they’d do it together though. She already had ideas on how they could get through school and still spend as much time with Amelia as possible. She hadn’t shared them with Callie yet, but she would when the time came.

“Look whose all fresh from her bath and wants to say goodnight,” Callie announced, walking around the couch so that Amelia could get goodnight kisses.

“Goodnight,” Tim told her, rubbing her head and making her still damp hair go in all directions.

Arizona took the baby from her girlfriend and gave her a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. “Night, baby girl. Sweet dreams. Love you.”

“Na, na,” Amelia respond back with a smile. They decided this was now her way of saying ‘goodnight.’

“You know,” Tim started once Callie and Amelia were out of the room again. “We didn’t have the most normal childhood.” Arizona nodded her head for her brother to continue, wanting to know where he was going with that. “Not saying it was something you sought out on purpose, but maybe that’s why this situation works so well. Maybe it never would have worked for you to just date someone, get married and then have kids much, much later,” the last line was partially a tease. “You need something that’s different because that’s how we were raised.”

Arizona gave it some thought. It made sense to her. She couldn’t have ever done things in a “normal” fashion, because that’s not who she was. She was Arizona Robbins, daughter of a marine, loyal, honest, raised to protect the things she loved. And she loved Calliope and Amelia Torres. “Maybe. It makes sense to me.”

“What makes sense? What are we talking about?” Callie asked as she took a seat next to Arizona, the two girls immediately seeking contact.

“Mostly, you,” Arizona said with a sly smile, placing a quick peck on her girlfriend’s lips.

“Oh yeah? Good or bad?” She’s not really worried. She’s been around the two Robbins’ enough to know exactly how they are with each other. Anything Arizona thinks she needs to know she’ll tell her. Everything else just isn’t her business, even if it is about her. Her and Tim will always share the number one spot in Arizona’s life, but for different reasons.

“All good, I promise,” Arizona told her.

The three chatted for a bit longer, before deciding to turn on a movie. Enjoying the last night they’d all have together for awhile. After this week, Callie could claim that Tim had become like a brother to her as well. She liked spending time with him just as much as Arizona did. Of course, for her, part of it was because he was so much like her girlfriend.

The two girls cuddled close under a blanket as the movie played on the screen. Using the blanket as a cover, they allowed their hands to wander more than they ever had in the past. Now that they had taken that final step in their relationship, they were both feeling the need to express their love physically all the time.

When she was getting more than just a little turned on, Arizona pulled her hands off Callie, getting the other girl to do that same. She placed a kiss in the dark hair above Callie’s ear. “No more, or we’ll be in big trouble,” she whispered so low Callie had a hard time hearing her, but she didn’t want to risk her brother hearing.

Callie nodded her head, knowing Arizona was right. They’d agreed they wouldn’t be doing that in Tim’s house. The bed was off limits for obvious reasons, and they would surely be overheard in the shower. They also wanted to save that first time for home, in their giant bathtub if they ever got the chance.

The next morning the drive to the airport was mostly quiet. It was bittersweet for the girls to be going home. They enjoyed their time on this little trip, but they also missed home. Ogden would always have a special place in their hearts now, after such a big moment of their lives happening here.

Callie went to the kiosk to get their tickets, giving Arizona a few more minutes with her brother. “Thanks for everything, bro,” she told him, giving him a hug.

“You’re welcome. Take care of yourself, and your girls.”

“With my life,” she replied.

Tim leaned down to where Amelia sat in her stroller. “Goodbye little lady. You be good for your mommies,” he told her, giving her a kiss on her cheek, causing her to squeal in delight.

“Got the tickets,” Callie announced. “We’re ready to go through check-in.”

Arizona nodded at Callie before giving her brother another hug. She hated being separated from him. “Goodbye, Tim.” Callie gave him a hug as well, saying her own goodbyes.

Tim watched them walk away, looking very much like the little family they were. He stared in their direction long after they were out of sight. Finally turning away, he left with a smile on his face.

“You ready to go home?” Callie asked once they were seated in the waiting area.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m going to miss him though.”

“Me too.”

“Thank you,” Arizona told her, getting a questioning look from Callie. “For coming, and well for everything. It means a lot just that you’re here with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me, I’m right where I want to be.”

“I know,” Arizona said, giving Callie a quick kiss. It was only a few minutes before their flight was called. Taking Amelia from Callie, and then holding Callie’s hand, she led the way. “Let’s go home.”


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

“You ready to go play little one?” Callie asked her daughter as they headed into the living room where Barbara was watching the morning news. Amelia had already been changed, dressed, and fed for the morning and was ready to play. “You go play while I go wake your mama, before she makes us late for school,” she told the little one as she sat her down on the floor. Amelia didn’t seem to give her a second thought as she took off for her playhouse. “Nice to know what you love more,” Callie joked.

“Parents always come second to toys, unless they need something from you,” Barbara smiled at Callie. She wasn’t totally serious, but remembered feeling what Callie was feeling right now.

Callie always loved the little pieces of information Barbara shared with her, even the not so serious ones. Up until she met the Robbins, the only parenting guide she had, her own parents, told her what not to do. Now she only hoped she’d be as good a mother as Barbara is.

Entering the room she shared with Arizona, she smiled seeing her girlfriend still sleeping soundly, her body hugging the side of the bed. Squatting down in front of Arizona, she ran her fingers through the blonde locks, careful not to pull on the tangles that had developed overnight. Leaning over, she placed a gentle kiss on Arizona’s lips. “Time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Don’t wanna,” Arizona mumbled without opening her eyes. Instead she snuggled deeper into her pillow, trying to hold on to sleep.

“Sorry, sweetie, but you need to. You’ve already slept through the alarm and if you don’t wake up now you’ll be late for school,” Callie informed her, running her hands through Arizona’s hair again, trying to rouse her.

“No school, school bad,” the blonde decided. They’d been so busy over the last week, with the holidays and their mini-vacation, that their winter break hadn’t even felt like a break to her. She could sleep for the next two days and it still wouldn’t be enough.

“We gotta get back into routine, which means school. If you don’t hurry and get ready, I’m going to drag you in your pajamas. I’m sure Izzie would love to see that,” Callie threatened. They hadn’t had to deal with the head cheerleader much lately, but they wouldn’t put it past her to start something again.

“Fine, I’ll get up,” Arizona finally conceded, crawling out of bed. Callie held out a hand, helping her into a standing position. Once both feet were on the floor, they shared a proper good morning kiss. “Just give me 20 minutes,” she told the other girl when they finally pulled apart.

Callie just smiled and watched Arizona head into the bathroom. Both of them knew it would be more like 30 minutes before Arizona was finally ready. It didn’t matter though, they had the time, Callie made sure of that.

Already ready, Callie headed back down to spend some more time with her daughter. After having spent pretty much every minute with Arizona and Amelia the last week, it was going to be hard not seeing each other all the time. She knew it would be the same for Arizona, and wondered what effects it would have on Amelia.

“Arizona up?” Barbara asked as Callie reentered the living room.

“Yeah. I threatened to drag her to school in her pajamas if she didn’t get ready.”

“Good girl,” Barbara approved, once again happy her daughter had found Callie. They were perfect for each other. It made it easier to accept what she was sure happened between the two while they were gone. It wasn’t anything they had said or done. It was just a feeling she had. Her little girl was growing up and creating her own family.

A half hour, and about two dozen kisses and hugs for Amelia and the two girls were finally heading out the door, towards their first day of the new year. The morning was looking like it was going to be a cold day, but still not as cold as it was in Utah. They used it as an excuse to cuddle close on the short walk.

“I hate A days,” Arizona stated as they entered the school office. The younger girl liked to hang out with her girlfriend there until she had to rush off to her first class. “I only get to see you for lunch and one class,” she explained sadly, hating all the time apart they had to endure while at school.

Callie gave her a hard stare as she dropped her backpack onto the desk. “You’ll survive,” she smiled.

Arizona whined, moving close to Callie and running a light hand down the other girl’s arm. “But I miss you.”

“You’re too much,” Callie told her looking around before placing a quick peck to Arizona’s lips. They weren’t hiding their relationship, but they weren’t shouting it from the rooftops either. And even though Miss Montgomery knew they were a couple, they’d prefer not to get in trouble because of their school’s policy with public displays of affection. “I love you, now get to class so you’re not late,” she whispered.

“The bell hasn’t even rung yet,” Arizona protested.

“You know it’s going to any second now, and you’re always cutting it close anyway.”

“You’re mean.”

“I know, but you love me anyway,” Callie responded with confidence.

Arizona sighed, knowing Callie was right. “Yes, I do. Fine I’ll go. See ya at lunch time.” Callie could only watch with a grin on her face as Arizona reluctantly made her way back out into the school hallway.  Her eyes glued to Arizona’s backside, appreciating the view. Now that she knew what was under the clothes, she couldn’t help but look at Arizona every chance she got.

**~CA~**

Arizona looked down at her lunch and sighed. “Maybe you should move back to your house,” Arizona announced.

Callie whipped her head around to look at Arizona, stunned by the words. The girl, who just hours earlier complained because they had to be separated for a few hours, was now suggesting she move back to her parent’s house. “What did you say?” she asked, wanting to be sure she heard right.

“Maybe you should move back into your house,” Arizona repeated like it was nothing.

“Why?” Callie tried to hold the emotion back. She couldn’t figure out what she had done in the last few hours that would make Arizona not want to live with her anymore.

Arizona picked up her chicken sandwich and took a hesitant bite. Choking back the food, she looked at Callie with a smirk on her face. “Because this crap is nasty.”

“Huh?” She was not following Arizona’s train of thought at all.

“This lunch, it’s nasty. I miss all the food your cook made.”

A light finally donned on Callie, glad that Arizona wasn’t serious about her moving. “You want me to put up with my bitch of a mother just so you can eat good food.”

Arizona nodded her head with a giant grin on her face, her dimples popping. “Yeah. Would you?”

Two could play that game. “Sure,” Callie shrugged. “If it will make you happy.”

Arizona wasn’t expecting that answer. She wasn’t sure if Callie was just messing with her or if she was serious. “It will,” she answered, not as confident now.

Callie leaned in closer to Arizona, grateful they still had privacy in their favorite lunch spot. “You sure you won’t miss me in your bed every night? Miss snuggling up and making out, and so much more when the opportunity presents itself,” she whispered huskily in Arizona’s ear, sending chills down the blonde’s body.

Arizona pretended to think about it, not yet ready to admit defeat. “No, I think it will be okay. It may take a day or two to get used to it, but after that it should be fine.”

“Really?” Callie asked incredulously. She thought for sure she’d won this one.

“Heck no!” Arizona exclaimed, pulling Callie to her for a quick kiss. “Eating this garbage is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it means sleeping with you every night.”

“Mm, definitely,” the older girl agreed, taking one more kiss, before they pulled apart to finish eating. “Are you still going with me to Amelia’s check up?” Callie asked, changing the subject.

“Of course, why do you ask?” Arizona questioned back between bites.

“I dunno, just thought maybe you had too much homework or something,”

“I’m sure you have plenty of homework too,” Arizona pointed out, suddenly feeling like maybe Callie didn’t want her to go.

“Yeah I do,” Callie agreed.

“And you’re still going. So why wouldn’t I? Am I not her mother too?” Arizona asked sadly, her insecurities coming out in full force.

“Of course you are,” Callie assured her. “I just figured there’s no real need for both of us to be there, so if you had too much to do you’d want to stay home. That’s all,” she explained, not realizing her small question would have caused such a long conversation.

“So if you had too much to do you’d stay home and let me take her?” Arizona really needed the answer to the question. She needed to know that Callie saw her as an equal parent to Amelia.

Callie could understand why Arizona had gotten defensive now. If their roles were reversed she wouldn’t want to stay home and not know what was going on. How could she say all that without Arizona thinking she didn’t trust her to take care of their girl? “I can see your point. No, I wouldn’t stay home. Not because I don’t trust you or anything like that,” she tread carefully. “I just want to be there so I’d know what was going on.”

Arizona let out the breath she was holding, knowing they were on the same page. “That’s how I feel too. I may not have been there for her birth, or her surgery, but I’m here now. She’s my little girl and I want to make sure she’s doing well.”

“Ok, I got it. I’ll never ask again, I’ll just assume from now on that you’ll be at every single one of her appointments,” Callie conceded with a smile.

“Darn right! Even all the ones with shots,” Arizona shivered, not liking the thought of someone poking her baby. “Every dentist appointment too. I want to be there for them all, annoying the doctor with a million questions.”

**~CA~**

Fifteen minutes into Amelia’s appointment and Callie had to hold back a laugh. Arizona wasn’t kidding when she said she’d annoy the doctors with her questions. Only they hadn’t even seen the doctor yet, instead she’d been pestering the nurse. As well as giving her dirty looks whenever she did something to make Amelia uncomfortable.

“Arizona, let Tara do her job,” Callie suggested, pulling Arizona back when she looked like she was about to hit the woman.

“But she made her cry,” Arizona argued, trying to move back to Amelia’s side and soothe her poor baby. Callie held out a hand, effectively stopping her.

“She’s just fine, trust me. You’ll get used to it,” Callie told her quietly. She’d felt what Arizona was feeling. Only hers had been about ten times worse. She’d had to watch the doctors and nurses do their thing and not even get to take her baby home after it was over. It had been hard not being able to run away with Amelia and never come back. Over time she’d gotten used to it. She’d never like it, but she understood they were just doing their jobs.

“But she’s so little, it’s our job to protect her,” Arizona tried again to get around Callie.

“The best way we can do that is by making sure she’s healthy, and to do that we need to let them run their tests. We’ll spoil her rotten when we get home and make her forget this whole day ever happened,” Callie promised, hoping that would be enough to convince her girlfriend.

You could literally see the fight in Arizona fade as she fell into Callie’s arms, hugging her tight. She turned her face into Callie’s neck so that she couldn’t see what was going on. She hated feeling like this, and it was only a checkup. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she was sick or something more serious.

“How we doing today?” the doctor asked as he entered the room.

Arizona looked up surprised. She hadn’t thought to ask if Amelia’s pediatrician was a man or a woman. For some reason she had expected it to be a woman. She wasn’t sure what to think now that she knew it was a man.

“Who do we have here?” he asked, surprised to see someone else in the room today. Callie had never brought anyone with her to Amelia’s appointments before.

“This is my girlfriend, Arizona,” Callie introduced. “And Amelia’s other mom,” she threw in. “Arizona, this is Dr. Freedman. He’s been Amelia’s doctor since she was released from the hospital.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Arizona,” he said, holding out a hand in greeting. “You can call me Cooper, or Dr. C as some of my patients tend to do.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Arizona gave him a firm handshake, not forgetting her manners.

“Alright, now let me see how our girl is doing today,” he told them both, moving over to where the nurse still stood with Amelia. He began his own exam, while Tara filled him in on her own preliminary one.

By the end of the appointment, Arizona was feeling much better about Cooper as Amelia’s doctor. He didn’t seem to get agitated with her full list of questions. Instead he answered them all with patience and understanding.

Feeling better about the good doctor didn’t stop her from wrapping Amelia in her arms as soon as the exam was over. She wanted to run out of there with her baby and never come back, but instead she sat down next to Callie and waited for Dr. Freedman to finish.

“She’s doing really well,” he started. “Her heart seems to be doing fine still, not that I ever expected any different. She had two of the best surgeons working on her. Developmentally, she’s just about caught up to her age group, which we expected,” he reminded Callie. The last time he examined Amelia, the two chatted about how far her premature birth had set her back and how she seemed to be making up for it.

“We got her this little playhouse for Christmas and she keeps trying to pull herself up to see out the window, but she hasn’t quite gotten here yet,” Callie shared with him.

“She’ll get there soon, and before you know it, she’ll be walking,” he assured. “Any more questions?” Both girls shook their heads ‘no.’ “Well then I guess you’re good to go. Don’t forget to make an appointment for her 12-month on the way out.”

“We won’t,” Callie promised, ignoring the look on Arizona’s face at the thought.

“See you ladies next time then.” With that, he was out the door.

Not wanting to be in this building another second, Arizona took the keys from Callie and ran out to the car, settling Amelia in her carseat. Callie couldn’t believe how fast her girlfriend disappeared from sight with the baby. Laughing, she went back out to the front desk and set up their next appointment. She couldn’t wait to get home and spend time with her girls as well.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Rolling them over so she was on top, Arizona slid her tongue as deep into Callie’s mouth as she possibly could, moaning at the feeling. Callie’s body arched up into Arizona’s, desperate for more contact. Her hands maneuvered under the blonde’s top, her fingers ghosting over the smooth skin.

“We… really… should… stop,” Callie murmured between kisses. Contradicting herself, she rolled them back over, kissing Arizona deeply again. She moved back up into a sitting position, pulling Arizona with her so that she could pull the other girl’s shirt off.

Smiling, Arizona shook her head no at the thought of stopping. Following Callie’s lead, she helped her lover out of her shirt as well. Kissing Callie again, she pulled them both back down to resume their make-out session. “We should so keep going.”

“But your parents,” Callie tried to argue.

“Have been asleep for hours,” Arizona pointed out, caressing Callie’s breasts then kissing them both, before placing another kiss on the plump lips she loved so much. It had been over two weeks since their trip and the night they spent together. They hadn’t had a chance to make love since, and Arizona wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip out of her grasp. “Do you really want to stop?” she asked, looking deeply into Callie’s eyes.

Sighing, “no, I don’t,” Callie admitted. She had been craving this as much as Arizona had. Between school, Amelia, and just life in general, they hadn’t had a chance to get in more than a couple of very intense make-out sessions lately. Looking down at her girlfriend, a warmth spread through her chest, knowing this beautiful girl was hers. Other than Amelia, Arizona was the best thing to ever happen to her, and she’d forever be grateful. “I love you, so much,” she whispered, gently kissing Arizona’s lips.

Arizona grinned at the look of love in Callie’s eyes. “I love you, too.” Taking the lead once again, she moved so that she was the one on top again. “We’re just going to have to practice being quiet,” she told Callie, attaching their lips again.

“Yes, ma’am,” Callie agreed, letting Arizona lead the way. By the end of the night she was glad they didn’t have school the next day because she knew she was going to be exhausted, but she wouldn’t trade what they’d just done for a few extra hours of sleep. Holding her girlfriend to her chest, she placed a kiss on Arizona’s forehead, letting the feeling of having her girlfriend near lull her to sleep.

**~CA~**

“I hate history!” Arizona stated a few days later as they were getting ready to head home for the day. Actually the class wouldn’t be so bad if her teacher didn’t read from the book in a monotone voice, slowly putting her to sleep. It didn’t help that, thanks to her dad, she already knew pretty much everything there was to know about every war ever fought.

“You do not,” Callie responded, making sure her English book was in her backpack. She knew Arizona already had her biology book in her own bag so there was no need to grab hers too. They always ended up using just one anyway. “You love history. You just don’t like the way Mrs. Chris teaches it.”

Arizona sighed, knowing Callie was right. “She’s so boring,” she whined. “When we were in Florida, our teacher made it fun, reenactments and all kinds of activities. Even had class outside from time to time. I loved it,” she told Callie, catching her by surprise. She couldn’t remember any of the Robbins mentioning Florida before.

“You lived in Florida?” Callie asked.

“Yeah, a few years ago I guess it was. Why?”

“No reason, you just never mentioned it before,” Callie shrugged. She was amazed at how much she still didn’t know about Arizona. “I’ve got family down there somewhere.”

“Ah cool. It’s really nice down there. I liked it. Unfortunately, we weren’t there for as long as I wished we would’ve been.” As Arizona reminisced about her time in Florida, the two girls began making their way towards the front of the school.

“Hey, Arizona, Callie,” Mark interrupted just as they exited the large blue doors. “Can I talk to you a minute, Callie?”

Callie looked at Arizona, silently asking if it was okay. Mark, like the rest of them, had barely given her the time of day since she’d walked away from them all, so she wasn’t sure what he wanted now. He was possibly the only one that she could admit she missed hanging out with. But now that she had Arizona she didn’t regret leaving the group.

Arizona just nodded her head that it was okay and positioned herself right next to Callie’s side. She knew that Mark and Callie used to be pretty good friends when Callie had been part of the popular crowd, but she wasn’t about to leave Callie’s side.  She took Callie’s hand in one of her own, entwining their fingers.

Mark glanced between the two, realizing Arizona wasn’t about to leave. “Just uh,” he didn’t know where to start. He’d wanted to talk to Callie for awhile now, but hadn’t gotten up the nerve to do so until now. “Something has been on my mind ever since everyone found out you had a baby. I used to know you pretty well, we were friends at one time right?” Callie nodded her head in agreement. “So if I added it up right, you got pregnant at Jakes party.”

Callie just nodded her head in agreement again. She really wondered where Mark was going with this, but he was getting to the point really slowly. Although she was surprised he’d given it enough thought to put that together.

“So it’s my fault then,” he said more to himself, not noticing the looks on both girls’ faces.

“Wha… what?” Callie practically screeched, not sure how to process what was now going through her mind.

Mark thought back over his words, realizing why Callie’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head at any moment. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant because Izzie suggested I keep pushing the alcohol at you and I listened to her. They all thought you needed to loosen up a little. I didn’t really agree with them, but I did it anyway. I always admired your ambition. I’m sorry.”

Callie let out a slow breath, trying to straighten her mind out. On one hand she wanted to be angry as hell at Mark and all of her friends for that night. But then she wouldn’t have Amelia, and possibly Arizona. She couldn’t imagine her life without either of them. “It’s alright, Mark.”

“Still, I feel bad. You seemed like you were having fun, so I figured there was no harm in that. Then those college guys crashed.”

“Do you know who they were?” The words were out of Callie’s mouth before she knew if she wanted to know the answer to that question or not. She was happy with how things were. Amelia had two parents now. They didn’t need to know who her father was. It really wasn’t much different than if her and Arizona had used an anonymous sperm donor.

“I don’t, I’m sorry. I think the one that kept hitting on you said his name was Joe, but I was wasted myself at that point so I can’t be sure my memory is working right,” Mark told her, scratching his head.

“Don’t worry about it, Mark,” Callie said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m happy with how things turned out.” She threw a smile at Arizona. “Really happy,” she enthused.

Mark looked at the two girls again, noticing how Arizona’s thumb gently caressed Callie’s hand that was tucked in her own. How they seemed to lean into each other without being aware they were doing it. “I’m glad it worked out for you then. And I’m sorry we weren’t better friends. I don’t blame you for walking away.”

Callie could see the sincerity in Mark’s eyes. “It wasn’t entirely about you guys, well a lot of it was Izzie. Mostly it was about me though. Realizing I was pregnant changed me. I had to think about more than just myself.”

Mark nodded that he understood. He wished it could be different, that he’d done things differently, but knew the clock couldn’t be turned back. He could only try to be a better friend now. “If you’ll give me a chance, I’d really like to be your friend again.”

“I’d like that,” Callie told him.

“Good. So I’ll see you around,” he stammered, not really sure how to end this conversation.

“Yeah, sure,” Callie agreed.

“Oh, and nice seeing you Arizona,” Mark added, acknowledging her for the first time since this whole thing had begun.

“Um, yeah, you too.” Really she was impressed he even knew who she was. She supposed that had to do with Callie. She couldn’t remember a single other school where so many people knew her name.

“Later,” he called as he started backing away, before turning around and almost jogging towards the parking lot and his car.

“Well that was interesting,” Arizona commented as soon as he was out of earshot, not really sure how else to respond.

“Yeah, it was,” Callie responded without much thought, her mind still trying to figure out what just happened.

“Let’s get home,” Arizona suggested. Callie just nodded her head, letting Arizona lead them home.

**~CA~**

Watching Amelia splash in the bathtub, Arizona smiled at the little girl. She kept up a one-sided conversation as she washed the baby’s caramel skin. She tried not to think about her girlfriend, concentrating solely on her daughter.

The conversation with Mark seemed like it had really gotten to Callie. She hadn’t been acting like herself since they got home. She’d played with Amelia like she always did, but wasn’t very responsive while they did their homework. After dinner she’d just disappeared up to their room, leaving Arizona to get Amelia ready for bed by herself.

She was really enjoying the one-on-one time she was getting with her baby. Usually they took turns giving her a bath and getting her ready for bed anyway, but it had never been like this. As she pulled her out of the tub and started drying her off, she tried to decide if she should take her in to say goodnight to Callie or not.

Amelia chatted and gurgled to her the entire time while she lotioned her up and slipped her pajamas on her. She was such a happy baby and hardly ever cried unless she really needed something. “You are just the cutest thing in the world. You know that?” she told the baby with a smile. “Even cuter than your mommy, but let’s keep that our secret okay? We wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Amelia smiled, reaching her hands out so Arizona would pick her up. “Mama, Mommy,” she laughed.

“You’re too smart for your own good,” Arizona told her, placing a kiss in her baby soft hair. “Let’s go tell Mommy goodnight, munchkin.”

“Mommy, na, na.”

“No Amelia is going na, na,” Arizona answers like she was keeping a real conversation with the girl. Amelia just nodded her head and smiled. She had no idea what her mama was talking about, just that she was talking to her.

Hearing the whole exchange on the baby monitor, Callie smiled listening to her two girls. She knew it wasn’t fair to just disappear on them like she did, but she needed to think. It didn’t keep her from eaves dropping however. She was really lucky that Arizona had come into her life when she did.

“Say goodnight, Mommy,” Arizona told Amelia as the two entered to find Callie laid back on their bed.

Callie sat up, taking Amelia into her lap. Placing a kiss on both her cheeks. “Goodnight, baby girl. Sorry Mommy hasn’t been all there today,” she feels the need to apologize, even if her daughter didn’t really know what was going on.

“Na, na,” Amelia responds, patting Callie on the cheek.

Giving her one final hug, Callie hands her back to Arizona and watches as her two favorite people leave the room once again. Laying back on the bed, she got lost in her mind once again.

“Alright, let’s talk,” Arizona commanded as she entered the room again, this time without the baby. She moved to her side of the bed and sat down beside Callie, giving her, her full attention. “Something has been bugging you since the conversation with Mark. So out with it.” She didn’t leave any room for argument. They were slowly learning that it was best to talk things out and not let them fester. She wasn’t going to let Callie pull away from her.

“I’ve been replaying that night over and over in my head. I remember Mark handing me that first drink, but after that it’s all blank, no matter how hard I try to remember.”

“Maybe you’re not meant to remember,” Arizona suggested. She worried there was a reason that Callie had forgotten that night and that it wasn’t just the alcohol. She didn’t want to think about it, let the idea even cross her mind, but it was still there anyway. She shook her head trying not to even think of such a thing happening to the girl she loved.

“Maybe,” Callie agreed. “I just, I hate not knowing what really happened, or who it happened with. I keep trying to tell myself that it doesn’t matter, and part of me believes it. That it’s no different than if we someday want more kids and pick a sperm donor. She has two moms and that should be enough. And it is, don’t get me wrong. She’s so lucky to have you, and I’m so lucky. I’m just so confused.”

Arizona sighed, laying down beside Callie and wrapping her arms around her, pulling her close. “I know, sweetie. I wish I could help you, but I don’t know how,” she whispered, placing a kiss into Callie’s hair. “I hate that you’re hurting over this, but a part of me can’t help but be happy about it all because I have you and I have Amelia.”

“I know what you mean,” Callie admits, looking up into Arizona’s eyes. “I keep thinking that too. I know Amelia’s going to have questions someday though, questions I won’t know how to answer.”

“Do you want us to try and find him?” Arizona asked, not needing to elaborate on “he.” She wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but if it was something Callie needed, then she’d do it.

“You’d help me do that?” Callie asked surprised. Arizona just nodded her head, saying with her eyes that she’d do anything for the other girl. “I don’t know. Maybe. I need to think about that one for awhile though.”

“Well, I’ll be there for whatever you decide. We’ll figure it out together, and how to answer Amelia’s questions when the time comes.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” Callie murmured, sleep tugging at her. Wrapped in Arizona’s arms, so comfortable, she never wanted to move.

“You loved me,” Arizona answered honestly. “And you gave me a beautiful daughter,” she whispered, already feeling Callie starting to relax and drift off to sleep. It wasn’t easy, but she finally managed to get the quilt out from under them and slipped it around them. “Goodnight, sweetheart, I love you.” She just hoped that tomorrow would be a better day, for both of them.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The weeks went by in a flurry of activity, and now it was the end of February. With it being the last semester of their high school careers, both girls were bogged down with studying and homework. It was hard enough to find time for Amelia, and even harder to find time for each other. Still they managed as best they could, stealing little moments wherever they could grab them.

For their first Valentine’s Day together, Arizona’s parents surprised them with an offer to take care of Amelia overnight so that they could enjoy the holiday together. At first they declined the offer, but Barbara insisted. It was their first Valentine’s as a couple, something they should cherish, and she wanted to give them the time to do so. Besides, she knew how hard they both worked, they needed a little time to relax and be together.

Finally, conceding defeat, they reluctantly left their daughter in the care of her grandparents and left the house with no real plan in mind. They ended up back at the spa Callie had taken them to on Arizona’s birthday. Having a mother who paid to keep an open reservation came in handy at times. Even though she wasn’t speaking to her mother, Callie didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

They indulged in a couple’s massage, but that was really the only amenity they’d partaken in. This time they stayed the night in their suite and had chosen to spend most of their time in the room, exploring each other. Arizona lost track of the amount of times they made love, but she’d been thoroughly satisfied by the time they left the next morning. Her favorite memory was the time they spent in the very large jet tub.

Now a few weeks later, Callie and Arizona home were in the living room, doing homework, while keeping an eye on Amelia. She was happily playing with her toys, talking to herself. Looking up from her textbook to check on her daughter, Arizona smiled at what she saw. Leaning back, she gently nudged Callie in the side, afraid talking would and stop Amelia from what she was doing.

Callie turned to glare at Arizona, but she didn’t have a chance. As soon as her eyes found her girlfriend, she noticed the other girl pointing across the room. Following the hand, Callie saw what had Arizona so intrigued. Amelia had pulled herself up and was using the coffee table as support as she slowly worked her way towards her mothers. There was a grin on her face at her achievement. Until that day she had stood up against things, but hadn’t yet figured out how to make her feet move.

“Oh my gosh, she’s walking,” Callie exclaimed quietly to Arizona, her eyes never leaving her daughter.

“I know, I can’t believe it,” Arizona squealed.

Amelia had a look of complete concentration on her face, watching her feet as they made each step sideways, pulling herself that much closer to her moms. Several times she started falling backwards, but managed to right herself, and continue her journey. The two girls watched, unnoticed by Amelia, as she took each hesitant step. Neither wanted to take their eyes off of their little girl and this large milestone that was happening.

Callie desperately wanted to pull out her phone and catch it on video, but she worried that the noise her phone would make would stop Amelia in her tracks. Several times before she’d tried to record her daughter doing one thing or another, but as soon as Amelia heard the click of the phone, she’d stop whatever it was she was doing. More interested in the gadget in her mom’s hand.

Getting to the end of the coffee table, Amelia stood there for a moment, trying to figure out how to get around the corner. Her moms would be within reach if she could just get around and take a few more steps. She started babbling to herself, almost as if she was trying to come up with a plan. Callie and Arizona both had to hold in a laugh, not wanting to disturb her now.

As soon as she was around the corner and close enough, she threw herself sideways, catching hold of Callie’s leg. Using her mom’s leg for support, she grinned and bounced in place.

“Look at you, big girl,” Arizona told her, leaning over Callie’s legs so that she was almost eye-level with the baby. “Did you walk all the way over here?”

“Mama!” Amelia squealed, lifting her hands in excitement, forgetting that her hands were what was holding her up. Trying and failing to grab onto something to keep her standing, she fell back onto her diapered bottom, the smile still firmly attached to her face.

Callie lifted Amelia into her arms and settled her on her lap. Giving her a giant kiss on the cheek, Callie rested her head onto her daughter’s and hugged her close as pride filled within her.

“Cup?” Amelia asked, completely unaware of what the other two girls were feeling.

Callie laughed. “You came all that way to ask for a drink?”

“No I think the journey made her thirsty,” Arizona teased, already standing to go and get the baby’s sippy cup. “Here you go, baby,” she said a minute later, handing the purple cup to Amelia.

The little girl leaned back in her mom’s arm, slowly drinking from the cup. She squirmed around for several minutes, trying to get comfortable, before finally relaxing. Her eyes began to droop slowly, but she tried to stay awake as she sucked every bit of formula.

“Somebody is ready for her nap,” Callie commented quietly.

“You going to go lay her down?”

“Not yet, kind of want to just hold her and celebrate,” Callie smiled.

“Sounds good to me,” Arizona agreed. They knew as soon as Amelia started pulling herself up along the furniture, that it was only a matter of time before she took her first steps. Still they weren’t prepared for it to actually happen. “Her birthday is less than two months.”

“Yeah,” Callie drawled, waiting for Arizona to elaborate when it didn’t seem like she was going to. She didn’t think it was a reminder, Callie could still remember the day her daughter was born like it was yesterday.

“I was just thinking maybe we should start planning a party or something. Don’t you?” she finally continued. She wasn’t an expert, but Arizona was pretty sure that the first birthday was supposed to be a big one.

“I think we should do something, but it would be more for us than for her. She’s not going to really understand or remember. So I was just thinking of a small family thing, maybe invite my dad,” Callie shared, having previously given it some thought every now and then.

“You don’t think we should have a party?” Arizona asked sadly. She wanted to celebrate her little girl’s first birthday, and show off her cuteness.

“Who else would we invite?” Callie inquired back.

Arizona knew she had a point. Other than Carlos and Tim, pretty much everyone Amelia knew was living in this house. “We could invite some of our friends.”

Callie arched an eyebrow at her girlfriend. “What friends?” she almost laughed.

Another point for the raven-haired girl. “Well there’s Mark and Lexie,” Arizona thought aloud. Mark kept his word, and tried to be a friend to Callie again. They didn’t really hang out with him outside of school, not really having the time. But they did spend time with him during school and even allowed him to join them during lunch from time to time.

This semester, they both had a couple classes with Lexie and had gotten friendlier with her. She loved hearing their stories about Amelia and they both loved telling them, so it worked out. Arizona would occasionally trade texts back and forth with her as well, even though most of them tended to be about schoolwork, they still had made some conversation.

“Yeah, I guess we could invite them,” Callie agreed, thinking it over. “It would be nice to see them outside of school for a change. Anyone else?”

“Guess not. We could invite Miss Montgomery,” Arizona said offhandedly.

Giving Arizona a hard look, Callie tried to see if she was kidding or not. “You want to invite our vice-principal to our daughter’s party?”

“Um, sure,” Arizona answered slowly. “Okay, we don’t really associate with that many people, I admit. She’s always been nice to us thought, and asks about Amelia. Plus you’ve even admitted that in other circumstances you could see yourself being friends with her.”

“Yes, I did. Still, I’m not sure how well that would go over. Especially if we invite Mark and Lexie.”

Arizona sighed, knowing Callie was right. Normally students didn’t want to party with school staff, even if it was for a baby’s first birthday. “Well we need to at least invite Tim, even if he can’t come.” He was already planning to come out for their graduation, so two trips out in such a short amount of time might not be possible.

“Well that’s a given,” Callie responded quickly. She really hoped he could make it, it wouldn’t be right for him to miss it. But she understood if he had to, and Arizona would as well. “If not maybe we’ll have to do something, just the four of us when he does come out.

“Sounds good to me,” Arizona agreed. “I was thinking maybe we could also invite my grandparents,” she threw in, not sure what her girlfriend would think about that.

“Your grandparents?” Callie asked slowly. Arizona had mentioned both sets of grandparents in passing, but nothing more than that. She couldn’t say she knew anything about any of them.

“Well my dad’s parents anyway. My mom has talked to them about us so they know. And I’d really like them to meet you and Amelia. They are much like my own parents, very relaxed and nonjudgmental. My mom’s parents on the other hand are a whole different story.” Barbara’s parents hadn’t been happy when she’d chosen to marry a man in the military instead of the nice lawyer they’d picked out for her. Arizona had only seen them a few times, none of which left a lasting positive impression on her.

“Let’s invite them then,” Callie told her. Not sure if she was excited or dreaded meeting Arizona’s grandparents. Even though Arizona said they were relazied, the thought of meeting yet another serious Army leader, was a bit unnerving.

“Good, I’ll call them as soon as we figure out what we’re doing and when. I know they were planning on coming here for graduation anyway, but her birthday is several weeks before that.”

“Do you want to just do her birthday closer to graduation then?” It didn’t really bother Callie either way. Like she told Arizona before, it was more for the adults than for the baby anyway. To her every day was a celebration of her daughter’s life, especially having come so close to the alternative.

“No, I don’t want to do that. They’re retired anyway. They might be able to come out for a couple weeks and just stay. Maybe I’ll call them later tonight and find out for sure.”

“Whatever you want.” And Callie meant that. She’d do whatever Arizona wanted if it made her happy, and she knew the other girl would do the same for her.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Arizona teased.

“Oh, I’ll keep it,” Callie whispered back, placing a gentle kiss on Arizona’s lips, knowing she’d do anything for Arizona. Both girls wanted to take it another step further, but with Amelia still on Callie’s lap they couldn’t really do that.

“You know, we’re home alone, and she’ll be asleep for at least another hour,” Arizona whispered seductively.

Callie moaned at the thought. “I like the way you think. Meet you in the bedroom?”

Arizona nodded her head, biting her lip in a way that drove Callie insane. “Better hurry or I’ll start without you,” Arizona answered, before jumping off the couch and heading upstairs.

“Your mama is going to be the death of me yet, little girl,” Callie whispered to the sleeping baby in her arms. She followed her girlfriend more slowly, being careful not to wake Amelia and have their whole plan blown to pieces.

As soon as she through their bedroom door, she was pushed against it and Arizona attached her lips to Callie’s, pulling at her shirt. She didn’t know how it was possible, but each time with Arizona was better than the last. This time was proving to be the same and they’d barely gotten started.

Helping Arizona pull her shirt off of her body, Callie pushed away from the door, while the other girl’s hands moved to Callie’s jeans, popping the button. “Naked, now,” Arizona growled in her ear, as she pushed the tight jeans over the curvy hips she loved so much. They’d barely managed to discard their clothes before falling onto the bed in a mess of limbs, and roving hands.

**~CA~**

Arizona beat her pencil against the desk, trying not to make too much noise. She was glad it was her last class of the day. She was feeling anxious and she didn’t know why. This wasn’t one of the classes she shared with Callie, so she didn’t have her girlfriend there to make her feel better. Instead she was forced to listen to Mrs. Chris go on and on about the War of 1812.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, she smiled, assuming Callie had sent her a sweet text. The other girl would often send her little love notes via text if the opportunity presented itself during the classes where they were apart. They always made Arizona smile when she read them.

When she felt her phone continue to vibrate, she realized it was an incoming call and not a text. As slyly as possibly, she pulled her phone from her pocket and saw the call was from her mother. That couldn’t be good. Her mother wouldn’t be calling her in the middle of the school day without a good reason.

“Is there a problem, Miss Robbins?” Mrs. Chris asked, as Arizona started throwing her books into her backpack.

“Sorry, I’ve got to go,” Arizona answered, not bothering to notice the teacher’s reaction as she tore out of class.

As soon as she was in the hallway, she dialed her mother back, listening to it ring as she headed towards Callie’s class. “What’s wrong, Mom?” she asked as soon as her mother answered.

“I tried calling Callie’s phone but she didn’t answer,” Barbara started. “I tried a couple times but when I didn’t get a hold of her I decided to try you.”

“She forgot to plug it in last night, so her phone is sitting in our room on the charger. We forgot to tell you that,” Arizona explained. “Now what’s going on?” As she listened to her mother talk, the anxiousness she was feeling was quickly turning into worry.

“Ok, I’ll grab Callie and we’ll be home in a few minutes. Wait for us,” Arizona commanded. Ending the call, she threw her phone back in her pocket. No longer walking now, she raced down the stairs and jogged down the hall to where the English classes were.

Not bothering to knock on the correct door, she burst into the classroom, interrupting the teacher mid sentence. “Sorry to interrupt,” she told him, before turning to find Callie. “Callie we have to go,” was all she said.

Seeing the look on Arizona’s face, Callie knew something was wrong. Gathering her stuff up quickly, she jumped up to meet her girlfriend at the front of the class. “What’s wrong?” Callie asked as soon as they were heading down the hallway.

“It’s Amelia. Mom thinks we better take her to the hospital.”


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

As soon as the word hospital left Arizona’s mouth, Callie was practically running home, forcing Arizona to try and keep up with her. That word kept playing over and over again in Callie’s mind. Was Amelia hurt? Was she sick? Was it serious? She didn’t even dare imagine the possibilities.

As soon as she saw them coming, Barbara opened the side door, letting both girls inside the house. “Sorry to call you away from school,” she apologized, while Callie quickly assessed the situation. Amelia was already buckled into her carseat, and the diaper bag sitting beside her was loaded and ready to go. The baby was trying to sleep through bouts of coughing.

Callie quickly picked up her daughter, seat and all, and began moving towards the car, all while listening to Barbara explain what was going on. Just before she laid Amelia down for a nap she noticed the little girl had a fever, but it wasn’t terribly high so she’d decided to just keep an eye on it. About ten minutes before she called the girls Amelia started to cough really badly and her fever had gone way up.

She automatically crawled in to sit beside Amelia, knowing she was in no frame of mind to drive, nor did she want to be too far away from her baby. Arizona seemed to have the same thought and crawled next to Amelia on the other side, leaving Barbara to climb into the driver’s seat.

“Go to Seattle Grace, it’s where she was born. I trust the doctors there,” Callie managed to get out, not taking her eyes off of her baby during the entire trip. Every cough or whine from the drowsy infant caused both Callie and Arizona to cringe a little.

Leaning down, Arizona placed a kiss on Amelia’s cheek, feeling how hot she was. “It’s going to be okay, sweet girl. We’ll get the doctors to make you feel all better,” she whispered in the baby’s ear, placing another kiss in Amelia’s soft baby hair.

Callie was lost in thought, going over the morning again and again. She couldn’t seem to recall noticing any indication that Amelia was getting sick. She knew logically that symptoms could appear at any time, for any illness. But she still couldn’t help feeling guilty about not having known something was wrong that morning.

Barbara watched the emotions playing across both girls’ faces in the rearview mirror. Having a sick child was horrible for any parent, especially for the parents of a preemie. She tended to forget how young her girls were, and yes Callie was one of her children now, because they both acted so mature and were really great mothers. Still, they were both just 18 and she couldn’t imagine how terrifying this probably was for both of them.

She knew suggesting the hospital instead of Amelia’s pediatrician only made that fear stronger. She had her reasons though. It may have been many years since she’d been a practicing nurse, but she had a few ideas of what Amelia might have. If she was right about any of them, the hospital was probably the better place to be.

The car had no sooner shut off, when Callie was unlocking the carseat from its base and moving towards the ER doors. Once again Barbara and Arizona were both left trying to keep up with the worried mother. They finally manage to catch up to her just before she reached the check-in desk. The nurse on the other side of the desk greeted them kindly and asked how she could help them.

“My daughter is sick. She has fever and she coughs so hard I think it’s hurting her. She needs to see a doctor right away,” Callie told her with a tremor in her voice.

Sliding some papers onto an empty clipboard, the nurse holds it out towards Callie. “Fill these out and bring them back to me. We’ll get to her as soon as we can.”

“She’s a baby, a preemie at that,” Arizona felt the need to inform her. “Doesn’t that make her some sort of priority?”

“No, I’m sorry, it doesn’t. Her symptoms aren’t enough to bump her up the list.”

“Not even if she’s had surgery on her heart? Page Dr. Altman or Dr. Bailey they can tell you,” Callie tried desperately to convince her. She couldn’t imagine waiting any longer to find out what was wrong with her daughter.

“Put that information on those pages,” the nurse said, pointing her head towards the clipboard Arizona now held.

“So basically you’re telling me she pretty much has to be dying to get in right away,” Callie burst out at the thought, fearful and angry at the same time.

Barbara laid a soothing hand on Callie’s arm, trying to calm the girl. She waited until Callie was looking her direction before she spoke to her. “It’s okay. Let me talk to her. You and Arizona go sit down and start filling out the forms. It’s going to be fine, I promise.” Callie numbly nodded her head and did as she was asked.

As soon as the girls were out of earshot, Barbara turned to look back across the desk. “Look, I know you’re just doing your job. I was a nurse once, I know how this job can be and I’m sorry my girls are making that more difficult, but they are just kids themselves. They are scared and worried and they are amazing mothers to that little girl. I’m not asking you to bump them in line or break any rules, but if there is anything you can do to help them through this, I’d appreciate it.”

“I know Dr. Bailey is here today, let me find out if she is in surgery. Since she’s a former patient of hers, maybe she’ll want to look her over herself if she’s not busy. I’m not making any promises though.”

“Thank you,” Barbara said sincerely, giving the woman a smile. Scanning the room, she found the girls seated in a corner and made her way towards them. Callie had Amelia up over her shoulder, gently rubbing her back trying to help her anyway she could. Arizona had pen in hand, writing down whatever Callie told her to put.

“What’d she say?” Arizona asked as her mother was sitting down beside her.

“She’s doing what she can, I promise you,” Barbara assured them. “I know how you’re both feeling, I know this is terrifying, and I’m sorry both of you have to go through this. She understands that, but she still has to do her job.”

“I know,” Callie admitted sadly. She’s spent more time than she ever would have imagined in this very hospital. She knew how things worked, but it didn’t stop her from reacting in the moment.

After the last page was filled out, Barbara took them back up to the desk and then waited quietly with the girls. Callie kept Amelia in her arms at all times, trying to rock her and help her sleep as best as she could. Arizona kept a hand and both eyes on the baby, watching in fear for any change in fear.

“Where’s my favorite little Torres?” they heard after a little more than a half hour of waiting. Arizona looked up to see who had spoken, surprised to see a short black woman headed their way. Callie just smiled at the approaching doctor, grateful to see someone she knew. “I heard our baby wasn’t doing too well. Thought I’d better come check her out myself.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bailey. That means a lot,” Callie sincerely told her.

“It’s my pleasure. I got a room on the PEDS floor all ready for her. I figured better to exam her up there where it’s quieter and see what’s going on,” Dr. Bailey explained, leading the way towards the elevator. “I know it’s not exactly protocol, but I’d rather have her already up there if we have to admit her.”

Callie just nodded her head, following behind one of the two women who had saved her daughter’s life. Some of the worry she’d been feeling drifted off her shoulders knowing that Amelia would be in good hands.

“Now tell me, what seems to be the problem?” Dr. Bailey asked as they all climbed into the large elevator. Callie filled her in on what she knew and what Barbara had told her, leaving the elder Robbins to chime in with anything she’d left out.

“Sounds like it could be RSV,” the doctor told them. “Respiratory Syncytial Virus, it’s a common virus in young children. It affects the lungs and airway,” she explained further.

“I thought the same thing,” Barbara agreed.

“And who are you?”

“Oh, sorry for not introducing you,” Callie quickly cut in, feeling bad for not doing so sooner. “This is Arizona, my girlfriend and Amelia’s other mom,” she explained, wrapping an arm around Arizona’s shoulder for a moment. “And that is Barbara, Arizona’s mom, who also takes care of Amelia while we are in school. She also used to work as a nurse in the pediatric ward of a hospital.”

“I see, glad to meet you both,” Bailey said, giving both blonde women a smile. “Felt so bad for this girl here,” she said, pointing at Callie. “Watching her spend all those days at Amelia’s bedside, with no visitors. Nice to see she found some support finally.”

Callie wasn’t sure what to think about Bailey’s words. She knew the doctor was being sincere and she appreciated that she cared not just about her patients, but their families as well. Also her words struck a chord with her, because she could find comfort in knowing that if Amelia was stuck in the hospital again, this time they wouldn’t be alone.

“Alright, why don’t you lay that sweet baby down so I can get a look at her,” Bailey said as they entered one of the patient rooms. The room was obviously designed for small children with lots of cartoon characters adorning the wall. Against one wall sat a crib with adjustable sides to make it easy for a doctor or nurse to examine the patient inside.

Callie hesitated, not sure she wanted to let go of her baby just yet, but at the look Bailey was giving her she knew not to mess with the doctor. Amelia whimpered at the loss of contact with her mother, but easily fell back into a light sleep. Her eyes would stay closed for several minutes until the next cough would spring them back open again.

One of the nurses entered the room, just as Bailey was pulling her stethoscope from around her neck to take a listen to Amelia’s heart and lungs. “Let’s get a sample of her mucus and send it down to the lab,” Bailey told the nurse, as she moved to listen to different parts of Amelia’s body. “Have them test it for RSV.”

“Right away, Dr. Bailey,” the nurse said, gathering the sample she needed and quickly leaving the room.

After thoroughly examining the baby, Dr. Bailey straightened herself out and looked at Callie. Remembering that the girl had introduced Arizona as Amelia’s other mom, she took a look her way as well, gaining both their attentions. “I’m fairly confident she has a case of RSV, but I’ll wait for the lab to confirm it to be sure. For now, I’ll give her something to help with the fever and something that’ll help clear the mucus in her lungs. I’ll come back and check on you when I get the lab results.”

“Thanks again, Bailey.” Callie called out as they watched the other woman walk out the door. As soon as she was gone, Callie collapsed into the chair beside Amelia’s crib. Letting out a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, reaching a hand through the cribs bars to hold one of her daughter’s. She didn’t know how long of a wait they were in for, but she felt better knowing Bailey was pretty confident about what was wrong and didn’t seem too worried.

The only other chair in the room wasn’t as comfortable as the recliner Callie was in. It was more like an office chair than anything. With no other options, Arizona pushed it up next to Callie’s and placed her own hand on top of Callie’s. She needed to be near them both right then.

Barbara watched the two girls in awe. She never would have chosen for her daughter to become a parent at such a young age. She wasn’t sure how she would have felt had Arizona actually been the one to get pregnant, but she knew it would have been different. Different because Arizona chose to be Amelia’s mother, it was something she really wanted. Not something that happened to her.

It wasn’t long before Callie reached for Arizona, needing more contact with her girlfriend. The uncomfortable chair was soon forgotten when the smaller girl found herself cuddled on her girlfriend’s lap, each of them drew comfort from the other and from the contact with their daughter.

“I’m going to go call Daniel, let him know where we are so he doesn’t worry when he gets home,” Barbara spoke quietly, not wanting to break the spell that the girls were under. She also wanted to give their little family a bit of privacy for a few moments at least.

“Will you call my dad too? He would probably like to know,” Callie whispered.

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Tell him he doesn’t have to visit or anything, I just wanted him to know.” Callie remembered all too well the last time Amelia was in the hospital. And even though things were different now, she didn’t want her father to feel like he was obligated to come.

“I’m sure he’ll want to come up and check on her,” Barbara tried to assure Callie. She hadn’t told Callie, choosing to keep it their little secret per Carlos’ wish, but he checked up on them both more than he let on. Often times he would call Barbara during the day to see how Amelia was doing, or get an update on Callie’s life. He’d also talked with Daniel a few times, getting advice on how to be a better father.

When Callie didn’t respond, Barbara quietly left the room to make her calls.

**~CA~**

“How much longer until we get some answers?” Arizona whined for probably the tenth time in the last hour. Not getting an answer from the other four adults in the room. They were all feeling the strain of the wait. Other than a nurse coming in periodically to check up on Amelia, they’d been left mostly to their own devices for the last several hours.

After the phone call from his wife, Daniel immediately left work and headed straight for the hospital, wanting to be with his family. He had been reassured by Barbara that it probably wasn’t anything serious, but just knowing his granddaughter was in the hospital was enough get him to leave early.

Carlos was a little slower to get there, having to deal with a few situations before he could leave to join his family. He hesitated in the lobby for close to 20 minutes before finally asking where to find Amelia. He had made great strides towards making peace with Callie, but still felt like she didn’t need him to lean on. He couldn’t blame her for that. He’d never been there for her as a child or allowed her to do so.

Finally making it to the right room, he greeted Barbara and Daniel with a smile, before turning to look at his daughter. He was surprised to see Arizona in Callie’s lap, the girls cuddled close together with their eyes closed, each with a hand on Amelia. He knew of their relationship of course, but seeing the comfort and familiarity they had with each other was something else all together.

An hour later and they were all about to go a little stir crazy. “I’ll go see if I can find anything out,” Carlos offered. He would likely come back with nothing, just as each of them had when they’d ventured out, but they couldn’t all sit around and do nothing.

Just as he was about to get up and leave the room for another pointless quest, Dr. Bailey entered the room. “Sorry about the wait, I got pulled into a surgery,” she apologized, taking in the two extra men that had now joined the family. “I did get a chance to look at her labs. As I suspected, she does have RSV. Because of her age and her medical history, I would like to keep her in the hospital for now. Try and get this under control before she develops anything more serious. I know you all don’t want to hear that, but I feel like it’s the best course of action given the circumstances.”

All the adults nodded their head in understanding. No one liked it, but no one dared argue. This woman had a very demanding presence. Instantly you knew better than to argue with her. Besides they all wanted to see their baby get better sooner rather than later.

“Alright then,” Dr. Bailey said. “Since she’s not actually a surgical case I’m not really needed here. But I will be sending you the best doctors and residents we have to keep an eye on her. I will of course check in from time to time, however. You’re all welcome to stay of course, but we ask that you cut down the visitors at night, keep the noise to a minimum, you understand.”

All five of them nodded their heads in understanding. She didn’t give them a number of how many could stay overnight, but she was subtly telling them that at least some of them needed to leave come nighttime. It was still several hours before they had to worry about that, however. For now they’d enjoy spending time together.

“Carlos, how about you and I go get this group some dinner,” Daniel suggested. He knew if they didn’t force the issue, neither Callie or Arizona was likely to remember to eat. His wife had been the same way when she was worried over their children.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Carlos agreed.

The two girls didn’t even bother to wave as their fathers left the room. Instead they kept their eyes trained on the crib, knowing they were in for a long few days. “Everything is going to be okay. We’ll get through this and she’ll be better in no time,” Callie whispered in Arizona’s ear trying to reassure them both. Amelia would be fine, because the alternative just wasn’t imaginable.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

“Callie, you need to eat, sweetie,” Arizona encouraged when she noticed her girlfriend was just picking at her plate and not really eating anything. Carlos and Daniel had gotten back with dinner more than 20 minutes ago and it didn’t appear Callie had taken more than a few bites in that time.

“I’m not really hungry,” the teenager mumbled. She wasn’t as worried now as she had been before Dr. Bailey’s diagnosis, but it was still there. Before leaving the hospital with Amelia the first time, she was given a list of things to watch for that could be especially dangerous in preemies. RSV was on that list.

“You still should eat. You’re no good to Amelia if you make yourself sick,” Barbara pointed out.

Callie glanced at her baby for the millionth time, watching as Amelia slept soundly in her crib. She was grateful that the little one was getting some uninterrupted rest finally. Earlier, before the medicine really kicked in, Amelia’s cough turned into a wheeze as she started to have a harder time breathing. Now all she had was the occasional cough or snivel and her fever had all but disappeared as well.

Callie looked down at her plate, slowly taking another small bite. She forced herself to gulp it down, really hating hospital food. It hadn’t been so bad the first week or two after she’d given birth. But after eating it for more than eight weeks straight, she couldn’t stand the stuff.

“Maybe you two should go for a walk before we leave,” Barbara suggested once Callie’s plate was empty. She knew neither of the girls was likely to leave Amelia once they were gone, but they really needed to spend some time out of this room. She was hoping if the grandparents were still there, they’d at least be willing.

Arizona turned her eyes to Callie. “You want to?” she quietly asked. She wasn’t thrilled at the idea of leaving Amelia either, but thought maybe her mom’s suggestion was a good one. Sitting in this room for hours on end might not be the best thing.

“No, I’m good,” was all the response they got out of Callie. Her hand once again reached out and rubbed her daughter’s belly gently. Being back here was bringing up too many memories of before.

Barbara looked like she was about to say something, but Arizona just shook her head, silently telling her to drop it. It was hard enough on her, sitting here, worrying. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Callie to be here again.

“Alright then,” Barbara said, standing up slowly. “Guess we’ll be going then. You sure you girls will be fine tonight?” she asked, wanting to be sure they’d okay here alone.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Arizona promised.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning then,” Barbara told them, giving them both hugs. “I’ll call the school first thing in the morning and let them know you two won’t be in for a few days at least. I’ll see when I can pick up your work so you don’t fall too far behind.”

“Thank you,” Arizona told her mother, giving her another big hug.

Daniel and Carlos took turns telling each of the girls goodbye as well. “Try to get some sleep,” Daniel encouraged.

 “We will. See you all tomorrow,” Arizona waved as they all left the room, knowing Callie wasn’t going to say anything.

**~CA~**

The silence was almost deafening within the room an hour later. The door was closed, so they were protected from all the noise out in the hallway. Arizona thought about turning on the TV a few times, but each time decided against it. She didn’t want to disturb Amelia’s slumber.

“I think I’m going to go find something to drink. Want anything?” she finally asked Callie, needing to get out of the room, if only for a moment. Without looking up, Callie just shook her head no.

Wandering out into the hallway, she realized she had no idea where to go. The cafeteria was probably on the bottom floor, but she didn’t want to go all the way down there if she didn’t have to. Surely there was at least a drink machine or something around here.

Hearing someone call her name, Arizona turned to find Dr. Bailey making her way over. “I was just coming to check on Amelia before I went home. How’s she doing?”

“She’s sleeping peacefully,” Arizona smiled at the thought. She was such a cute baby when she was sleeping.

“That’s good,” Bailey said. “How’s Callie doing?”

Arizona paused, not really sure how to answer that. “She’s not doing too well,” she finally admitted, deciding to be honest.

“I figured. I don’t know how much she’s told you of Amelia’s first few weeks,” Bailey started, waiting for Arizona to fill her in on what she knew.

“Not much, just that she had surgery and almost died. She doesn’t really like to talk about it much.”

“I can imagine. It was touch and go there with Amelia for the first four weeks or so. She had one set back after another even with the surgery. Broke my heart to see Callie deal with it all on her own.” Bailey knew she might be saying more than she should, but Callie had introduced her as Amelia’s mother, so that was good enough for her. “She never left that baby’s side if she didn’t have to.”

“She’s the same right now. I don’t think she’s left that chair since she sat down in it,” Arizona admitted. She was almost as worried about Callie as she was about Amelia at this point.

Bailey let out a worried sigh. “Make sure she takes care of herself this time, will ya?”

“Of course,” Arizona answered as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Good. Just let me know if you need anything. Not saying I have any favorite patients, but,” she said, leaving the sentence hanging so Arizona could fill in the pieces.

“Will do. Where can I find something to drink?”

“Oh that’s easy,” Bailey almost laughed. “Head down that hall, and make a left,” she pointed behind Arizona. “There’s a small drink bar we keep stocked for the parents on this floor.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow.” And with that, Bailey was headed home.

Arizona wasn’t surprised to find Callie in the same position she left her in more than 15 minutes ago. She knew the other girl said she didn’t want anything, but she picked her up a bottled water just in case she changed her mind.

Stifling a yawn, Arizona realized how late it was getting. They really should try to get some sleep. She really wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in her jeans. She’d have to get her mother to bring them both some more clothes tomorrow.

Moving to the small couch, she followed the instructions one of the nurses had given her earlier and pulled it out to make a small bed. Once the bed was made up, she moved back over to where her girlfriend still sat.

Kneeling down and placing her hands on Callie’s knees, she looked up into her girlfriends eyes. “Come on, let’s go to bed,” she told her.

“I’m good right here,” Callie responded.

“No, you’re not. You’re not sleeping in this chair,” Arizona told her firmly, leaving no room for argument. “We’re not leaving the room, just moving a few feet away. We’ll still hear her if she needs anything. I promise.”

Callie nodded her head, knowing Arizona was right. “Alright, just let me go to the bathroom first. I’ve had to pee for a good two hours now,” Callie laughed, giving Arizona the first smile she’d seen from the girl since that morning.

“Go. I’ll be waiting for you,” Arizona smiled back. After Callie had disappeared into the connecting bathroom, Arizona climbed into bed, pulling back the covers on Callie’s side so she could slide right in. It would be a tight fit, but she wasn’t complaining.

Callie came back a few minutes later and climbed in beside Arizona, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Arizona asked, not sure what she could have done for Callie to say that.

“For being here today. For taking care of me,” Callie answered sincerely. She knew if Arizona hadn’t been there, she would have slept in that chair tonight and her back would have been pissed with her all day tomorrow. As it was, it was already protesting the hours she had already spent sitting there.

“You never have to thank me for that. It’s what partners do for each other,” Arizona dismissed, wrapping her arms around her lover. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Callie smiled, giving Arizona one more kiss before settling in to go to sleep.

**~CA~**

The next morning everyone was in a much better mood than they had been the night before. Even though some of the medication made her sleepy, Amelia was doing much better and even had some moments where she was alert and happy being snuggled by her moms.

Her doctor, Dr. Saunders, had stopped by to see how she was doing early that morning. He was optimistic that she’d get over this virus quickly and may even get to go home in a day or two. For now, he still wanted to keep an eye on her.

Barbara came around nine with fresh clothes and other necessities for all three girls, including Amelia’s favorite blanket that was forgotten about in the rush to get out of there the day before. The baby squealed in delight as she put her face in the soft purple blanket.

“Well if she’s that happy, maybe she’ll get to go home sooner rather than later,” Arizona exclaimed, smiling down at the little girl in her lap. Callie held her much of the morning, not wanting to let go of her. When she finally handed her over, Arizona felt the warmth spread through her, once again assured that Callie saw her as an equal parent.

Getting Amelia to eat was easier said than done. She did manage to get a full bottle down before falling asleep for her afternoon nap. That left the three women to talk and enjoy their time together. Something they hadn’t had much of as of late.

“Your vice-principal said I could pick up your schoolwork around lunch time. I should probably head over there. I’ll be back in a little while. Do you girls need anything else while I’m gone?” Barbara asked.

“No, we’re good.”

“Alright, I’ll see you girls later,” she told them, placing a kiss on all three of their foreheads.

Not more than a half hour had gone by when Callie’s phone, that Barbara had remembered to grab from their room thankfully, alerted them of a new text message. “My dad wants me to meet him in the lobby,” she told Arizona after reading the message.

“Did he say why?” Arizona asked, leaning over to read the message.

“No. That’s weird.”

“Well, go see what he wants. We’ll be fine here, won’t we baby?” she asked the sleeping infant.

“I guess I’d better since he’s not answering my question of why,” Callie said.  She was hesitant to leave the room, but Arizona would still be with Amelia so it would be fine. “I’ll be back,” she whispered, giving Arizona a quick peck on the lips.

“I think your Grandpa Torres just wanted to get mommy out of the room for a bit, yes I do,” Arizona whispered, careful not to wake her daughter. She did briefly wonder if there was a reason why Carlos wanted her to go down there, but was choosing to believe he was only trying to help Callie by getting her to take a break, even if only for a few minutes.

Leaning her head back in the chair, she closed her eyes, thinking maybe she’d take a nap as well. They’d gotten some sleep the night before, but with so much light and noise in the room it was difficult to fully relax and get the deep sleep their bodies craved. She was just about to fall asleep when she heard movement in the room. Thinking it was Callie back already, she smiled as she opened her eyes, only to find one of the nurses she’d only seen for the first time that morning.

“I just need to do a quick exam, get her stats,” the woman said, no warmth in her voice. She lowered the rail on one side of the crib and signaled for Arizona to set her down.

Arizona already didn’t like this woman. Knowing she needed to let the staff do their jobs, even if she didn’t like it, she stood up, gently laying Amelia down. The loss of contact woke the baby up and she reached her arms towards her mama wanting to be picked up again.

“Sorry, baby. They gotta check you out, make sure your getting better,” she told her daughter, wrapping one of Amelia’s small hands within her own.

“I’m going to have to ask you leave,” the nurse told her, expecting her demand to be met.

“What? Why? I’ve been in here for all her other exams,” Arizona almost yelled, getting more irritated with this woman.

A smug look took over the nurse’s face. “The other times Miss Torres was in here as well.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Now Arizona was just getting confused on top of her irritation.

“Only a parent or guardian can allow visitors to remain during an exam, but they have to be in the room as well. Hospital policy.”

Arizona turned a cold hard glare at the nurse, catching site of the nametag the woman wore. “I’m her mother, Patty,” she stated with conviction.

“Legally you’re not. And since Miss Torres isn’t in here right now, I must ask you to leave.” Nurse Patty seemed to be getting far too much pleasure out of this.

“There is no way in hell I’m leaving my daughter alone with you,” Arizona tried to say as calmly as possible. She could see how the tension in the room was getting to Amelia and she really did not want to see her daughter cry.

“Then I’ll have to call security.”

“You do that!”

**~CA~**

Callie took a sip of her drink as she slowly made her way back upstairs with her father. She smiled, realizing how much the man had changed. He knew she hadn’t left her daughter’s room all night. So instead of just leaving her be like he did in the past, he plotted to get her to meet him downstairs. The two had hit the cafeteria to grab some food and were now on their way back to Amelia’s room to eat with Arizona.

As the turned the corner down the hallway to Amelia’s room, they saw a man in a security uniform with a tight hold on Arizona, leading her out of Amelia’s room. “You let that girl go right now,” Carlos yelled before Callie could even comprehend what was going on.

The security officer dropped his arm, but stayed right close to Arizona. Callie noticed the tears down her face and quickly moved to her girlfriend and pulled her into her arms. She could hear Amelia screaming in the other room as well, and guided them both back into the room, Carlos and the security guard following closely behind.

Not giving a glance in the direction of the nurse who was bent over her daughter, Callie picked her up, and slowly rocked her, trying to calm her down. She could see the look on the nurse’s face and knew she had something to do with this. “Why is my daughter screaming and why is her mother being led out of the room by a security guard?” she asked with venom in her voice.

“I asked her to leave while I did an exam and when she wouldn’t I called security,” Patty answered like she did nothing wrong. “She can’t be in here unless a parent or legal guardian is in here.”

Handing Amelia over to Arizona, not wanting to upset her more, she moved on the woman. “She is her mother!” she sneered. “Get out of here before I hurt you,” she yelled, letting everyone hear the seriousness in her voice.

The security guard, who had been watching the whole thing, realized the best course of action was to get the nurse out of there. Pulling her out of the room, he gave them all a wave letting them know he understood the situation better, and left them alone.

“Don’t worry, mijas, I’m going to take care of this,” Carlos told both girls, kissing both their cheeks before leaving the room. He would not stand for that kind of treatment of Arizona. The girl was family. Carlos Torres took care of his family.

Inside the room, Arizona was rocking back and forth with Amelia in her arms, hugging her close. “I’m your mama, I’m your mama,” she whispered over and over again.

Callie saw the look of misery on her girlfriends face. She knew Arizona had just been faced with one of her greatest fears, not being seen as Amelia’s mother. “You are baby,” she whispered in Arizona’s ear. “You’re her mama. We’ll do whatever we have to, to make sure this never happens again,” she promised. When her dad came back they were going to have a long talk about what they could do to ensure they never had to worry again.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Returning to the hospital, Barbara wasn’t sure what to make of the scene she found upon entering Amelia’s room. Arizona was seated in the middle of the small couch with Amelia wrapped tightly in her arms, whispering in the baby’s ear. Callie had her arms wrapped around them both, with a look of helplessness on her face. “What happened?” Barbara asked quietly.

Callie wasn’t sure how to answer. She could only guess what happened from what she’d seen and what the nurse said, and Arizona didn’t seem to be in any state to explain. “Some asshole nurse had her escorted out of the room while I was downstairs with my dad.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t really know. Just as we were getting back to the room, the security guard was leading her out of the room. Amelia was screaming and that bitch, excuse my language, was smugly telling me that only a parent or guardian can be in the room during an exam.”

“I don’t…” Barbara paused, not knowing how to respond and not even sure she fully understood.

Callie didn’t really want to explain in more detail if Barbara didn’t understand. She knew what Arizona feared most and she didn’t want to voice it in front of her.

“She’s my baby. I’m her mama,” Arizona stated with conviction. “She told me I wasn’t, but I am,” she said a little more sadly.

Understanding dawned on Barbara. Moving to sit on the other side of Arizona, Barbara wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Of course you are,” she told her.

The three women fell into silence, taking comfort in each other and in the baby that was fast asleep in her mama’s arms. It hadn’t even entered their minds that something like this could happen. They had been living in a bubble in the Robbins’ home, where they knew they were all a family. Now that bubble had been popped and they weren’t prepared for the fallout.

“It’s all taken care of now, girls,” Carlos announced as he entered the room with Bailey right behind him. “She won’t be on Amelia’s case anymore.” All three sent him a grateful smile.

“I’m very sorry for what happened today,” Bailey told them. “Nurse Patty shouldn’t have been put on her your daughter’s case.” The doctor gave both girls a sympathetic look. “She has a history of giving our gay parents attitude. Nothing that could get her fired. Just stuff that is frowned upon by the rest of us. We try to keep her away from those families, but sometimes there are mix-ups with scheduling.”

“It’s over now, that’s what’s important,” Callie told her. She still couldn’t believe this had happened, but at least it wouldn’t happen again. She was confident her father had made sure of it. “Just keep her away from my family.”

“We will,” Bailey promised. “Unfortunately she does have hospital policy on her side, so there isn’t much we can do about reprimanding her for the incident. Most of the staff here knows that that policy written in another time, and that family can’t always be legally defined especially when it comes to children. For now it’s taken care of, but you may want to think about putting those protections in place, just in case,” she advised.

“We will. Thank you, Dr. Bailey,” Callie told the smaller woman. The doctor gave them all a smile and a nod before leaving.

“I want to adopt her,” Arizona stated as soon as Bailey was gone. “I don’t know if it’s even possible or if the courts would allow an 18 year old that isn’t out of high school to do so, but I have to try. I don’t want this to ever happen again.”

“Are you sure?” Callie asked. Arizona was already Amelia’s mother, she wasn’t questioning that. She couldn’t split those two girls up if she wanted to. She was asking if Arizona was ready to go through the battle to make it legal. They could very well be told “no.” They wouldn’t give up, but it would likely be a long fight.

“I’m sure. I have to at least try.”

Callie turned to her father. “Can you help us?”

“Of course. I’ll have my lawyers start looking into it today,” he assured them. He’d have his lawyers searching for every loophole in the book if that’s what it came down to. 

“Thank you, Carlos,” Arizona told him. Knowing that he would be helping them, filled her with the hope that maybe it could actually happen. She knew how powerful Carlos Torres was, he could get things done. Hopefully there wouldn’t be too many hurdles before she could legally call Amelia hers.

“Nothing to thank me for, mija. You’re family. I take care of my family,” he told the teenager, giving her a fatherly pat on the shoulder. “I must get back to the office now anyway. I’ll get a hold of my lawyers immediately. Be good now,” he told both teenagers as he headed out the door.

“Are you okay?” Callie asked softly. For awhile there Arizona really had her worried, the way she’d pulled inside herself.

“Yeah, I’m good now. I’m sorry I freaked out earlier,” Arizona apologized. She had pretty much ignored her earlier when Callie was trying to comfort her. She had been focused on nothing more than loving the little girl in her arms.

Callie wrapped Arizona in her arms once again and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay. I can only imagine how much the situation got to you. I should never have left you two.”

“No, don’t feel guilty about that. You needed the break. This whole thing may actually be good, well not good, but eye-opening anyway,” Arizona admitted. Not being seen as Amelia’s mother hurt her, but that hurt had been replaced by anger when she learned it was due to discrimination. People like that clearly shouldn’t be working with children if they took pleasure in spreading hate.

“What happened anyway?” Barbara asked. She’d only heard what Callie knew, but they had yet to hear the whole thing from Arizona.

Arizona took a deep breath, trying to remember the order of events. “She told me to leave and I wouldn’t. She threatened to call security and I suggested she do just that. I wasn’t about to leave Amelia with her and I was hoping she’d either just do the exam or leave and come back later. She surprised me by actually calling security. By this time Amelia could feel the tension and started crying,” Arizona stopped, remembering how upset she’d gotten to see those tears in her baby’s eyes.

“I didn’t care anymore that she was trying to examine her,” she continued. I couldn’t just let her cry when I knew she was feeding off of my emotions, so I picked her up and was trying to get her to calm down when that security guy came in. I tried to fight them, I did. He was at least nicer to me, but he had to do his job. He told me if I didn’t calmly leave the room, he might have to turn the situation over to the police.”

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry,” Callie told her, placing a kiss in the blonde’s hair and holding her tightly.

“Amelia was screaming as that nurse took her away from me. He was pulling me back and she was screaming and they wouldn’t let me calm her down.” The tears she’d cried earlier were back as Arizona told them what happened. They didn’t even give her a chance to at least settle Amelia down before pulling her from the room. She was so angry with that bitch for letting a child suffer just because she didn’t like the sexual orientation of the child’s parents.

“That woman is horrible!” Callie was angry for Amelia and for Arizona. Neither of which should’ve had to go through that situation. Looking at her two girls, she wondered how anyone could deny Arizona was Amelia’s mother. The two were so close and already their baby was picking up some of Arizona’s facial expressions. She knew once Amelia started talking more, she would be spouting some of Arizona’s favorite phrases.

She was worried about some of the problems they would surely run into getting Amelia adopted, but it was something they needed to do. Being a Torres would certainly get them over some of the bumps, but she knew money couldn’t fix everything. It definitely wouldn’t hurt though.

It was crazy to Callie how far they’d come in such a short amount of time. The face that they’d only known each other just over six months was a bit surreal. She couldn’t remember what she did before Amelia and Arizona entered her life. Nor could she imagine a life without either of them. She’d do anything to keep this little family she had.

“How are we doing in here ladies?” came a high voice. Arizona was almost startled when she realized the nurse who asked was very much male. She laughed internally as she watched him come over to them and ‘ooh’ and ‘awe’ at the sleeping baby in her arms. Clearly the hospital was over-compensating when they switched their nurse for the day. She wouldn’t complain though, this guy already seemed like a good one.

“Now how about we get this little one up here on the bed so I can take a look at her,” he smiled kindly. Arizona darted her eyes around the room. She knew this guy wouldn’t be like the last nurse, but she wasn’t ready to let go of her girl just yet. “Don’t worry mamacita, you can stay right here with her,” he told Arizona. “By the way, my name is Roberto, but you can call me Robbie.”

Arizona smiled, comforted by this man’s words. Standing up with the help of Callie, she laid Amelia down in the small crib. This time, when Amelia woke up, she smiled up at Arizona and then turned her head to see the newcomer in the room. When he talked to her, she gave him her biggest toothy grin. “She likes you,” Arizona told him.

“Of course she does,” he stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “Babies always do, huh? Did that mean old Patty make you cry?” he asked Amelia softly as he checked her over, gathering all the information he needed. “Don’t you worry, she doesn’t like me either,” he smiled like he was sharing a secret.

Amelia reached out her arms, wanting to be picked up by her new friend. “I stand corrected, she loves you,” Arizona smiled. Amelia tended to love everyone she came across, but she didn’t always want them to pick her up.

“You’re not so bad yourself kiddo,” Robbie told her, chucking her under the chin. “With those cheeks, you’re going to be a heart breaker. Well she’s looking pretty good. I’ll be back in to check on her in a couple hours. If you need anything before then, feel free to call the nurse’s station.”

“Thank you,” Callie told him, seeing the look on both her loves’ faces. This guy had turned their day around for all of them. She felt a lot better knowing someone like Robbie would be looking after their daughter for the rest of the day.

“Just doing my job,” Robbie smiled, happy to get one back in return. Some days he really loved this job.

**~CA~**

“Are you ready to bust out of this joint?” Callie asked excitedly several days later. It had been a long week, but they were finally getting the okay to take Amelia home. She had responded well to the medicine and was almost back to her old self.

“I don’t know about her, but I sure am,” Arizona answered. It would be nice to sleep in their own bed again. She’d eventually gotten used to the cot and was able to sleep better at night, but it was nothing like the sleep she got at home.

“I know you are, you goof,” Callie smiled, giving Arizona a quick peck on the lips. Callie wouldn’t admit it, but she was just as eager as Arizona to go home. She missed the warmth that came from walking in the doors of their home. She could barely wait to see something other than white walls everywhere either.

Since “the incident,” as they’d come to call it, Callie had been hesitant to even leave the room, much less step past the hospital doors. The only time either girl really ventured too far away was on the short walks they’d take when Barbara showed up every morning. It also helped that Robbie was there on every day-shift. He and Barbara got along fabulously, trading stories of various cases they’d encountered.

“Mom needs to get here already. It’s been what? Two hours since we called her?” Arizona asked, trying to remember. They’d called the elder Robbins woman as soon as Dr. Saunders told them they could take Amelia home. Barbara told them she needed to run an errand but would be right there to get them as soon as she was done.

“She’ll be here, don’t worry,” Callie tried to assure her girlfriend while running a comforting hand down her arm.

“But I want to go home now,” Arizona whined. Unfortunately they didn’t have a car here, so they were stuck waiting for Barbara to arrive.

“Who’s ready to go home?” a third voice entered the conversation, but not the one they were waiting for.

“Tim!” Arizona squealed, running and jumping into his arms. “You’re here.”

“Of course I’m here. I tried to get here as soon as I heard, but I couldn’t get leave until this weekend. Had to come check on my girls,” he told his sister, hugging her tightly before putting her back on her feet. He then gave Callie a half hug, before pulling Amelia out of her arms. “How’s my girl?” he asked his niece, holding her up in the air to look her over. She gave him a grin and started babbling, trying to tell him everything.

“She’s ready to go home like the rest of us,” Arizona stated. “Where’s mom?”

“She’s waiting for us in the car. I thought it would be more fun to surprise you.”

“Alright, then let’s get out of here,” Arizona told everyone pulling on Callie and Tim’s arms to lead them out.

“Hold up, we gotta stop at the nurse’s station to sign the discharge papers,” Callie pointed out when she realized Arizona was going to pull them right to the elevator.

“Fine,” Arizona begrudgingly agreed, bouncing her foot impatiently while waiting for Callie to finish the paperwork. “Now can we go?” she asked as soon as Callie handed the papers back. She didn’t wait for an answer though. Instead she turned towards the elevators once again.

As soon as they were home, Arizona took Amelia out of her seat and headed inside the house, glad to finally be home with her daughter. “We’re home, baby girl,” she told the baby, who squealed when she realized where they were.

Arizona sat on the couch, just wanting to snuggle with the baby, but as soon as Amelia caught sight of her toys, she was wiggling to get down. “I see how it is,” Arizona laughed, sitting Amelia down on the floor so that she could go play.

“Ditched ya did she?” Tim asked, sitting down beside his sister.

“Yeah, but I don’t blame her. She hasn’t gotten to play in a week.” She really did understand. Amelia had been so miserable in the hospital. She only had a few toys and her moms to entertain her. “I’m just glad to be home finally.”

“I’m sure you are,” her brother told her. He wished he could have been in town sooner. He hated knowing Amelia was in the hospital and not being able to do anything about it. Especially when his mother told him about the incident with the nurse.

“I’m glad you’re here. How long are you staying?” she asked, snuggling into her brother’s side. If she couldn’t get snuggles from her daughter, her brother would have to do since Callie hadn’t followed them into the room. Her girlfriend always liked to give her a little alone time with her brother. It wasn’t necessary, but she appreciated the thought.

“Unfortunately, only until tomorrow night.”

“Well it’s better than nothing I suppose,” Arizona said sadly. She really wished he was stationed there so they could see him more often. She knew that wasn’t how it worked though. “You keep an eye on her for a minute? I’m gonna go see where Callie disappeared too.”

“Of course.”

When the kitchen turned up empty, Arizona figured Callie must have gone to their room so she made her way up the stairs. Callie was just lying on the bed, not really doing anything but thinking. “Hey, what ya doing up here?” she asked softly.

“Nothing, just glad to be home,” Callie smiled, holding an arm out in invitation for Arizona to join her.

Arizona took the hint and laid down beside Callie, curling up to her girlfriend. “You know you don’t have to disappear just because Tim’s here. He came to check up on all three of us, not just me.”

“I know. I just wanted to you to have a chance to talk to him. I know there are some things you like to talk to him about that don’t involve me.”

“Not true,” Arizona denied instantly. “There is nothing I could possibly say to him that I wouldn’t want you to hear. You are the most important person in the world to me, well one of them anyway, but the other one is a part of you, so that doesn’t really count. Still I want you next to me all the time, so quit hiding every time he shows up.”

Callie leaned over and kissed the rambling lips deeply. Every kiss was like the first one, and she never really got used to the feeling in created in her. “I love you,” Callie smiled when they finally pulled apart. “I promise to quit disappearing on you.”

“Good, because I love you too.”


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

With a grin on, Callie watched from the couch, as Arizona played peek-a-boo with their daughter on the floor. It had become Amelia’s new favorite game a few days prior and Arizona never seemed to tire of playing it with her. Amelia’s eyes lit up every time Arizona sat down on the floor with her.

She knew Arizona spent far more time than she did down on the floor with the baby. It wasn’t that she didn’t love playing with her daughter, because she did. Arizona was simply the more playful of the two, while Callie was more of the responsible one, and focused on making sure everything was taken care of. Besides, it never ceased to amaze her how happy it made her watching those two play together. Their love for each other very apparent.

She couldn’t help but wonder again what her life might have been like had she never gotten pregnant. Would she still have befriended the new girl in school? She’d like to think she would have, because there was just something about Arizona that called to her, but she couldn’t say for sure. It was more than likely that she wouldn’t have.

Thinking back, she realized how shallow and self-absorbed Izzie and all their other friends were. Although back then she had been one of them. At the time she never gave much thought to anyone outside of their tight-knit group. It wasn’t intentional though, it just never occurred to her. They’d all known each other since they were in diapers. Their parents were all friends and a part of the same social class. Plus she was always focused on her studies so making new friends never really crossed her mind.

Had things turned out differently, she’d probably be propped on Izzie’s bed right now, reading a text book and pretending to listen to the blonde ramble on about her latest conquest. She’d nod her head and make small noises of agreement as the other girl tried on one outfit after another in hopes of drawing attention from a new boy-toy.

She was grateful that wasn’t the case. As she watched her baby attempt to cover her own eyes to hide from her mama, she couldn’t help but fall even more in love with both of them. She loved her life exactly the way it is. She wouldn’t trade her two girls for anything in the world. 

Seeing the contemplative look on her girlfriends face, Arizona couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Callie’s mind. “Whacha thinking about over there?” she asked.

Callie held her arms open, encouraging Arizona to get up and join her on the couch. As soon as Arizona was snuggled in close, Callie wrapped her arms around her and placed a kiss in blonde hair before resting her head on top of Arizona’s. “Just thinking about how much I love you both, and how grateful I am to have you two in my life,” she admitted honestly.

“The feeling is definitely mutual,” Arizona responded lovingly. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She snuggled deeper into Callie’s body and let out a sigh of contentment. Every part of her body that connected with Callie’s felt warm and tingly. The feeling of being in Callie’s arms was one of complete pleasure. It didn’t matter the position, they always fit together perfectly.

Comfortable for the moment, Arizona rested her head on Callie’s chest while she watched their little girl crawl towards her playhouse. “Have you heard from your dad?” she asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the peaceful moment. She didn’t know why she was asking anyway. Callie would have told her if she had. She was just so eager to get started with the adoption process. It had only been a few days since Amelia was released from the hospital, but felt like so much longer.

She didn’t need to explain herself. Callie knew why Arizona was asking. She couldn’t help but be a little impatient herself. She felt no hesitance about allowing Arizona to legally adopt Amelia. She was already her mother in every other way but. It would be nice not to worry about possibly reliving the hospital incident ever again. “He said to give him a week or so. He wanted to make sure they didn’t miss a single bit of information or loophole,” she reminded Arizona.

“I know. I just hate all this waiting,” Arizona said sadly.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” Callie told her, wrapping her arms even tighter. “We’ll make it happen, I promise.”

“Mama!” Amelia called from inside her playhouse. She had pulled herself up to stand in the window facing her mothers.

“What, baby girl?” Arizona responded back with a smile. She briefly wondered if the day would ever come when she wouldn’t feel a flutter in her heart when Amelia called her mama. She doubted it.

The two girls watched from the couch as Amelia stuck her hand out the window toward them, them proceeded to open and close her fist. “I think she wants you to go over there,” Callie told Arizona. Amelia had never done that hand gesture before, but she was confident it was a ‘come here’ signal. It was amazing the little things she picked up.

“I think so too,” Arizona agreed, pulling herself out of her girlfriend’s arms. She gave Callie a quick peck on the lips before standing up and making her way over to her daughter. “What’s up, munchkin?” she asked Amelia, as she squatted outside the window so they were face-to-face.

“Baby!” Amelia squealed happily, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, using the windowsill for support. Arizona shot a glance Callie’s way to see if she had any clue as to what Amelia was trying to tell her. Callie just shook her head. “Baby!” Amelia yelled again, this time turning to look at something on the floor next to her.

Clearly whatever Amelia was so excited about was inside her house. Not being able to see around the excited girl, Arizona pulled open the door and crawled in next to Amelia. “Ah, I see now. You put your baby to bed, didn’t you?” she asked, seeing what Amelia had done. “Mommy, you should come see this,” she called to Callie.

Scooting over to make room for the other girl, Arizona was glad the structure was big enough for all three of them with a little room to spare. The weather was getting warmer finally, but still not warm enough to take it outside. She was both excited and dreading that day, because it was Amelia’s favorite place to play, but really needed to leave the family room.

“Aren’t you such a good mommy,” Callie told Amelia, smiling at the genius that was her baby girl. Amelia had taken her doll and put her inside an empty toy bin. Then she tried to lay the blanket over top of her. “Is your baby sleeping?” she asked.

“Shh,” Amelia told them, forcing them both to hold in a laugh at how loud she was.

“Alright we’ll be quiet,” Arizona whispered. “Maybe we should leave baby here to sleep while we get some lunch. How does that sound?”

“Num, nums,” Amelia squealed, clapping her hands. The whole concept of being quiet lost on her.

“What time is it anyway?” Callie asked. They’d been so content spending time together she hadn’t bothered to notice the time.

Looking out the small window to see the clock, “Almost one,” Arizona answered.

“That late already? She’s going to be cranky the rest of the day if we don’t get her fed and down for a nap soon,” Callie said, as she worked her way back through the small door.

“Very true,” Arizona agreed. “Come on, big girl. Let’s get some food in that belly,” she told Amelia, encouraging her to follow her moms out of the house.

While Callie went into the kitchen to start getting Amelia’s lunch ready, Arizona stayed with the little one. Standing Amelia up on her two feet, Arizona held her tiny hands, supporting her, as she slowly made her way through the house. Arizona was going to be sad when the day came that Amelia no longer needed their help to walk, she enjoyed these moments. Every day she was getting closer to taking off on her own.

Once Amelia was settled in her highchair, Arizona took the food Callie had prepared and began feeding Amelia. Callie went to work on fixing something for them to eat once Amelia was down for a nap.

“I am so not ready to go back to school tomorrow,” Arizona said offhandedly. Amelia’s eyes were already starting to droop as she ate. She just let her take her bites at her own pace, knowing this was the best way to get her settled enough for a nap.

“We’ve been gone over a week,” Callie laughed. How much time away did Arizona want them to have?

“Yesterday and today don’t count,” Arizona argued. It was true though. They had only really missed last week while sitting in the hospital. There was no school today or the day before thanks to some teacher thing. Neither really bothered to know why, just glad they got to spend a little more time with Amelia before having to leave her in her grandmother’s care again.

“Fair enough. At least we haven’t missed too much, thanks to your mom and Miss Montgomery,” Callie said.

“Yeah. Still, it’s been nice getting to be together as a family,” Arizona spoke softly. She was so grateful to go to the school she did and have Miss Montgomery as a vice-principal, soon to be principal at the start of next school year. Not a lot of other schools would have been as understanding about Arizona taking the time off.

That was another reason she really wanted to have the adoption well underway before they started college. Which reminded her of another conversation they still needed to have. “I’m going to go put the munchkin down. Then I want to talk to you while we eat,” Arizona told Callie as she lifted an almost fully asleep Amelia into her arms.

“Don’t we always talk?” Callie teased. She knew Arizona meant a specific conversation and not just the idle chatter, but she could still tease her about it.

“You know what I mean,” Arizona muttered back, not taking the bait. “Now give our baby a kiss,” she ordered, prompting Callie to bend over and place a kiss on Amelia’s cheek, wishing her sweet dreams.

Several minutes later, Arizona skipped down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she grabbed drinks for both of them while Callie carried their bowls over to the table, completely in sync with one another. “Ooh, my favorite,” Arizona squealed, making Callie believe Amelia got her excitement from her mama.

“A waste of my culinary talents, but I’m glad I can make you happy,” Callie drawled jokingly. Sometimes she couldn’t help but think she was dating a five year old. But if mac and cheese with cut up hotdogs made Arizona happy, she’d make it every day to see that smile. “So what did you want to talk about?” Callie opened the conversation as Arizona stuffed a giant spoonful in her mouth.

“College,” Arizona mumbled around the food in her mouth.

“One, swallow your food before you talk,” Callie told her getting a sarcastic ‘yes, mom,’ from Arizona. “And two, what about college? You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

Gulping down the last bit of food in her mouth, Arizona turned a serious look at her girlfriend. “We’ve gotten a lot of acceptance letters back, but we haven’t really figured out what we’re going to do. Figured we probably need to start making plans soon.”

Callie knew she was right. It was hard enough making plans when you were single with no responsibilities. They had Amelia to think about as well, making it even harder. Luckily they had pretty much both gotten into all the same schools so far, making the decision a little easier. They wouldn’t even consider the possibility of splitting up now. “Yes, we probably should,” Callie agreed.

“The way I figure it, we have two choices, to stay here, or to leave.”

Callie smiled at Arizona for stating the obvious. The other girl obviously had more to say on the subject so she didn’t comment yet, waiting for the other girl to continue. Arizona surprised her however when she jumped up and ran out of the room. Before Callie could consider following her, Arizona was back with a notebook in hand. When Arizona opened it, she realized the blonde had given this a lot more thought than she realized.

“I’ve jotted down some pros and cons of each,” Arizona said, ripping the pages out of the notebook and laying them on the table where they could both seem them. She opened the notebook to a clean page so she could write down anything she thought necessary during their conversation.

Callie tried to read all of the things Arizona had come up with, but Arizona tended to write things in her own little short hand that nobody else understood. She’d picked up a few things here and there, but still didn’t understand most of what Arizona had written down. “You’re going to have to explain this to me. You know I can’t read your shorthand.”

Arizona sighed, no one could ever follow her train of thought. “I really hate the idea of putting Amelia in day care or being watched by a stranger. Maybe when she’s older she can attend preschool or something because she does need to socialize before hitting kindergarten.” Callie nodded her head in understanding. She felt the same way. “So if we choose to move away for college I was thinking you could take day classes and I’d take night classes. That way one of us would be with her all day. The downside of that is we wouldn’t get to take classes together.”

“Why would you be the one to take night classes? Why not me?” Callie asked curiously. She loved that Arizona was so willing to sacrifice for their family in this way. She knew taking night courses might mean being in school even longer because there were less classes offered at night. Still it was something they both needed to agree on.

“Honestly, because it makes more sense to me. We both know we want to be doctors, but you know what field you want to go into. I’m not there yet.”

“Alright, I can understand that.” They’d talked in length about how they want to help people and how they want to make that happen, but only Callie was sure she wanted to be a surgeon. Arizona at times felt like following Callie into surgery, but the more stable hours of general medicine also called to her. Either way, they had awhile to decide yet.

“So what about staying?” Callie asked. She was impressed at the obvious length of time Arizona had spent thinking about this. While she tried to think about their future and make plans herself, recently Callie spent more time worried about the present. With Amelia in the hospital and all the holidays before that, she hadn’t had a lot of time to give thought to the future.

“I’m definitely leaning towards staying, at least long enough to get our generals out of the way. Maybe attend something close to home, like University of Washington. That way Mom could still watch Amelia if she wanted to, and we both know she will. Plus we could take some, or all, of the same classes.” The pleasure in her voice was not masked, as Arizona thought about being able to share their classes. “We wouldn’t have to be separated all day,” she said with a slight smirk.

“That’s definitely a plus,” Callie agreed. She was sure thought that the next however many years until they were settled in their careers would be trying ones on them as a couple. So spending as much time together as they could to keep their relationship strong was a good idea.

“We could always transfer later if we feel like we need to. Or we could just get our bachelor’s right here at home. We’ll probably have to go away for med school, but by then Amelia will be in school so it’ll be a little easier on us.”

Callie sat back in her chair, giving it some serious thought. There seemed to be a lot to think about for both choices, but there were definitely more pros to staying, at least for the time being. Arizona was right. They could always transfer later if they wanted to try something different. When she really gave it thought, she knew college was really the easier choice to make. Med school was much harder to get into, so they would likely have a more difficult time deciding. “I’m leaning towards staying too,” Callie finally said.

“Really?”

“Really,” Callie told her.

“Can I suggest one thing though?” Arizona asked. There was one aspect about going away to college that appealed to her, and she wanted to see if they could still make that happen. Callie nodded her head for Arizona to continue. “Maybe we could look into getting our own place? Not that I don’t love it here,” Arizona started slowly, getting up from her chair and sitting in Callie’s lap. “But I’d really like to be able to spend some sexy time with my girlfriend without worrying about my parents hearing,” she whispered into Callie’s ear, making the girl gulp.

“That is… definitely something… we could look into,” Callie responded slowly, having a hard time talking as their bodies brushed together.

Just as Arizona was leaning in for a passionate kiss, the side door was thrown open. “Girls, not in the kitchen, please,” Barbara chastised, sitting the grocery bags down on the counter. “We eat in here.”

“Party pooper,” Arizona pouted, earning a laugh from her mother.

“Need any help, Mom?” Callie asked, causing both Barbara and Arizona to turn surprised eyes on Callie. “What?” Callie asked, not realizing why they were looking at her until she went back over her words. It had just slipped out, but Barbara had been more of a mother to her than her own mother ever had. It felt right to her. “I mean ah…”

“It’s alright Callie, I don’t mind. I liked it actually,” Barbara quickly assured her. “And yes there are a few more bags in the car. If you’d be so kind as to get them, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure, no problem,” Callie told her, placing a kiss on Barbara’s cheek. “I like it too, Mom,” she smiled before disappearing through the door.

Arizona could do nothing but watch the exchange between her mother and girlfriend with a smile on her face. Today was turning out to be a very good day.


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

“Gah, this day sucks!” Arizona growled as she plopped down beside Callie on the floor. She was glad they only had one more class after lunch. She wasn’t sure how much more of this day she could take. All they had left was psychology and having Callie with her would definitely help.

“I know what you mean,” Callie agreed. It was hard getting back into the routine of school, knowing it had continued on in their absence. Keeping up with the assignments didn’t prepare them for all they had truly missed.

“Freaking Peterson threw a test at us in calculus today,” Arizona continued, not done complaining. “Who gives tests on Wednesdays?  Nobody, that’s who! Especially when that Wednesday is really like a Monday because it’s the first day of the week. Stupid test,” Arizona pouted, popping a baby carrot into her mouth.

“I’m sure you did fine,” Callie tried to reassure, knowing her girlfriend was more worried about having failed said test, than what day it was on. Even though at times Arizona seemed to hate school, she was dedicated and constantly worried about failing. “Unlike me, you’re amazing with numbers.” Callie excelled more in sciences, so they complemented each other nicely in that aspect.

“Hey girls, what’s up?” Mark asked, taking a bite out of his apple as he sat down in front of them.

“Arizona is freaking out about the calculus test,” Callie told him with a smile, knowing their friend was in that class with Arizona. “Doesn’t help we were gone for a week.”

“Eh, just gave the rest of us a fighting chance,” Mark teased, earning a glare from the blonde. “What? You know you’re the smartest kid in that class right? Even if you flunked this test, you’d still beat everyone by a mile when final grades come in.”

“Which, I’m sure you didn’t fail it,” Callie quickly added, not wanting Arizona to start freaking out again.

“Yeah, probably still ran circles around me, and I even studied yesterday,” Mark said, getting a raised eyebrow from both girls. “Well I did have the book open in front of me,” he defended himself.

“When?” Callie asked, knowing there was more to it than that.

“While I was watching TV,” he finally admitted. “Alright, I didn’t study. I’m no good at it anyway.” He was far too easily distracted by life to sit down and focus.

“Maybe you should come study with us sometime,” Callie suggested. “I don’t have Peterson, but him and Lockheart tend to keep on the same track so Arizona and I study together. She’s really good at explaining things I don’t understand.”

“Maybe, I’ll think about it,” he told them, thinking it sounded like a good idea.

“I think your phone is vibrating,” Arizona told Callie a few minutes later, positive she was hearing movement in Callie’s backpack.

“Oh, right,” Callie muttered, opening the bag and digging through it until she could find the desired object. “It’s my dad.”

“Maybe he has news,” Arizona exclaimed, putting her head next to Callie’s so she could hear too. Both girls ignored the questioning look on Mark’s face as Callie connected the call.

“Hey dad,” Callie greeted.

“Hi, mija. I’m not catching you in class am I?” Carlos asked.

“No, we’re on lunch right now,” she explained.

“Oh good. Then I take it Arizona is with you?”

“Hi, Carlos,” greeted him before Callie could answer the question.

“Hello, Arizona,” he greeted back. “I’m so glad I caught you both. I was wondering if you two could come down to my office after school.”

Callie threw a questioning look at Arizona, silently asking if that was alright. Arizona nodded her head. “Sure that should be fine. Is this about the adoption?” She couldn’t think of any other reason her dad would want them to come down.

“Yes, it is. But I’ll explain when you get here,” he told them. “Oh and bring my granddaughter, that’s an order,” he said with laughter, letting them know he was teasing.

“We will,” Arizona promised. They would have to stop at home to get the car anyway. No reason they couldn’t grab Amelia before they headed out.

“Good. Then I’ll see you both in a couple hours.” The click of the phone let them know he’d hung up before they got a chance to respond.

“Yay. Finally we’re getting somewhere,” Arizona squealed, earning a laugh from Callie at her excitement.

“Yes, we are,” Callie told her. Taking her girlfriend’s face in her hands, she gave her a quick peck on the lips, hoping to calm her down some. They were still at school after all.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” Mark asked after watching them for several minutes and still not having any clue.

“That was my dad, asking if we could meet him at his office later,” Callie explained. “He said he’d explain more when we get there, but we’re hopefully meeting with his lawyers.”

“I want to adopt Amelia,” Arizona told him when she realized Callie was just confusing him more. “Her dad is helping me do that.”

“Oh wow, that’s great,” Mark said, trying to sound like he meant it. He did mean it. It was obvious his two friends belonged together, but he was only now realizing how much more mature they were than the rest of their class. He couldn’t imagine being a parent right now and he couldn’t wrap his head around someone making a conscious choice to be one.

“Arizona is already Amelia’s mother,” Callie continued, wanting him to understand. “No piece of paper will change that. We just want to make sure we don’t have to relive the hospital incident ever again.” Mark’s head shot up to look at both of them, realizing there was a story behind Callie’s last sentence. “Let’s just say it was unpleasant and leave it at that,” she finished, neither of them really wanted to rehash that day right now.

“I’m going to text mom, let her know to have Amelia ready to go when we get home,” Arizona told Callie. The rest of their lunch period was spent laughing and joking around like they normally did, their earlier conversation forgotten for now.

**~CA~**

“Do you think he has good news, or bad?” Arizona worried as Callie drove them towards their destination. Arizona took a glance into the backseat, smiling as Amelia happily entertained herself.

“I don’t know. Good I hope,” Callie answered. “I can’t imagine he’d drag us all the way down there for no reason.” Not that it was a long drive, but at this time of day it was likely going to take them no less than half an hour.

“What does he do anyway?” Arizona asked, wanting to get her mind off the impending meeting, at least for a moment.

“I’m not really sure actually,” Callie admitted. Her parents had never talked to her about their jobs, only ever telling her they had to work when she tried to spend time with them. It seemed silly to ask now. “Most of what I know, is what the public knows,” she explained, knowing the Torres name came up in many news broadcasts around the world. “He has his hands in over a dozen different business, that’s all I’m really sure of.”

“What kind of businesses?” Arizona questioned, wanting to know more now. She’d probably heard the name mentioned on television, but before meeting Callie, she hadn’t cared enough to really pay attention.

“Restaurants, hotels, car dealerships,” Callie listed, “who knows really. Well this is it,” Callie said, pointing at the large office building in front of them. Climbing out of the vehicle, she went about unbuckling Amelia from her seat, while Arizona grabbed the diaper bag. At almost a year old now, she was too big to carry around in the car seat. It made Callie sad that her little girl was getting so big.

“Ah Miss Torres, your father said we should expect you,” the security guard at the front desk told them. “He said to go right on up to his office.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Callie said. Arizona heard the change in her girlfriend’s voice, one she’d only heard a few times before. It amazed her how Callie could easily switch into the attitude of the wealthy and just as easily turn it off again with a blink of an eye. “Elevators are over there,” Callie pointed out to Arizona.

Arizona wasn’t surprised when Callie pushed the button for the top floor. While this building wasn’t a large skyscraper, it did surprise her how many floors it had. She couldn’t remember being in a building that had more than five or six floors. Fifteen stories later the elevator stopped and let them off. “Wow,” Arizona breathed, looking around the large, beautifully decorated room they now stood in. The lobby on the bottom floor and been so plain, she hadn’t known what to expect.

“Yeah, Dad had the best designers and decorators on the west coast work on this building when he finally decided to make it his headquarters. It also has every amenity you could imagine. He even has his own apartment on the floor above us, but you can only get to it from the stairs in his office.”

“Why does he need an apartment?” Arizona asked curiously.

“Something about overseas conference calls and not wanting to be driving in the middle of the night. I don’t honestly know,” Callie admitted. For a while after he’d opened this building, he had basically lived in that apartment. Only coming home on Sundays. With all the current tension between him and her mother, Callie vaguely wondered if he was living here again.

“Ah, girls. You made it. I was just going to call downstairs to see if Tony had seen you yet,” Carlos said, gesturing to the phone in his hand. He walked over to give all three girls a kiss on the cheek, ran a hand through Amelia’s baby soft hair. “There’s someone you need to meet, come, come,” he encouraged. Arizona was glad Callie had filled her in on the apartment when he led them through his office and up the stairs. “I figured it would be less formal up here,” he explained when they reached the top of the steps.

Looking around, Callie knew her earlier thought was correct. Her father had been spending more time here than at home. She felt guilty, knowing so much of the tension between her parents was because of her. But finally having her dad involved in her life was something she wouldn’t give back.

“Girls, this is Mrs. Kaklis,” Carlos introduced the blonde woman sitting on the couch. She looked up from the paper she was reading, giving them a smile. “This is my daughter, Callie and her girlfriend, Arizona. And this cutie here is Amelia,” he said, taking his granddaughter from Callie.

Standing up, the woman offered her hand to both girls in greeting. “Please, call me Lily. We’ll likely be working very closely for the next little while.” She looked to be in her early to mid thirties, but if Callie had to guess, she looked good for her age and was likely a bit older based on the way she carried herself.

“And why is that exactly?” Callie asked. This woman didn’t seem like the type of person her father usually employed, so she wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.

“All my sources told me that Mrs. Kaklis here is the best there is to help you two through this adoption,” Carlos explained. “Amelia and I will go walk around the building, leave the three of you to talk,” he offered, taking the diaper bag from Arizona.

“He’s so going to show her off, isn’t he?” Arizona asked Callie once the two had disappeared back the stairs.

“Probably,” Callie agreed. Taking Arizona’s hand, she led her over to the couch and took a seat across from Lily, pulling Arizona down beside her. Both girls looked over at the lawyer curiously, not really knowing what they were supposed to be doing.

“Why don’t I start by telling you a little bit about myself?” Lily asked, trying to put them both at ease. Carlos had explained the circumstances to her, so she knew how overwhelmed they must have felt. “I grew up in California and went into family law right out of law school. I enjoyed it immensely, but then my wife and I decided to extend our family.” Lily caught the glance between the girls and knew she’d made the right choice in opening up to them.

“I stopped practicing for a while to be a stay-at-home mom. Then a few years ago my wife bought a dealership up here in Seattle and we fell in love with the area. Now our family splits our time between here and our home in L.A., although I do kind of miss the earthquakes,” she laughed to herself, knowing the two teenagers wouldn’t get the inside joke between her and her wife. Instead they just looked at her like she was crazy.

“My kids are all in school now, so I decided to come back to work part-time, taking on only a few cases at a time. Now my focus is on LGBT families. When your father called me,” Lily looked at Callie as she said this, “I didn’t hesitate to say I would help you out. Mr. Torres worked with my wife when she decided to expand up this way and I was more than happy to,” Lily finished.

Arizona smiled, glad to have someone like Lily fighting for them. She was a pretty good judge of character and her instincts were telling her this woman was someone they wanted on their side. “So where do we start?” Arizona asked, eager to get into it.

“I’m going to be honest with you. Your case is unique because of the circumstances. I do promise to do everything I can to make this happen.” Lily paused, letting that sink in. “It does help that gay marriage is now legal in this state, but that will only go so far since you two aren’t married. The law states you have to be at least 18 to be eligible to be an adoptive parent, so that isn’t stopping us. What is, however, is the fact that you, Arizona, are a high school student with no job.”

“Do I need to get a job?” Arizona asked, more than willing to do whatever it took to make Amelia legally hers. She would hate being away from her family any more than necessary but she’d do it if she had to.

“For now, no. We’ll revisit that if we need to. I want to use this case to really prove that love is what makes a family. Which is how it always should be anyway. I’ve been where you are, when we tried to adopt my oldest son,” she confessed. “My wife and I had money and the court knew that, but love was what proved we belonged together as a family. I want to do the same for the two of you.”

“Alright, so what do we need to do?” Callie asked. She couldn’t claim to know much about law, but she loved what Lily was saying about love making a family. To her, the three of them were already a family, now they needed Lily to prove that to the court.

“There are some papers you two need to fill out, and I’ll help you through them. Then we’ll send them to the court. If they love what they see, they could easily approve it right on the spot. That very rarely happens, however. More than likely they will send a social worker out to your home, probably more than once. Usually one is an announced visit, the other unannounced. After that again they could either approve the request or schedule a hearing. Because of the circumstances I’m already planning for worst case scenario,” Lily told them, wanting them to be prepared. “It’s not going to all happen overnight either. It could be weeks or months between each step. I don’t want you to get discouraged if it takes awhile,” she turned a glance at Arizona, knowing she had more to lose here.

“I’ll try not to.” She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t, but Arizona would try to remain hopeful throughout the process.

“You said you split your time between here and L.A. What does that mean in terms of our case?” Callie asked when she realized how long of a process this truly was, and wanting to know if the lawyer would be around or not.

“I can see how that would be a concern,” Lily started, wanting to put both girls at ease by showing that she was listening and understood. “As I said early, I only take a few cases at a time, and with it being close to summer yours will be the only case I take on until we reach the end, one way or another. That way I’ll have more time with my kids. If I happen to be in L.A. when you need me, your father has already offered his jet, promising I could be home each night for dinner.”

“That could be a lot of flying,” Arizona joked, earning a laugh from the other two. “Hope you don’t mind planes.”

“Believe me, there are worse places to be locked inside,” Lily responded without elaborating. “Now, do we need to schedule another time to fill out the paperwork, or is now a good time?”

Callie glanced at Arizona letting her make the call. She didn’t have any pressing homework that needed to be done tonight. “I’m good, what about you?”

Arizona thought about it, the only work she had was Spanish and Callie could help her get that done quickly later on. Arizona had been taking Spanish for years and loved the language. But she was really grateful to have Callie now, who was fluent, to help her when she struggled. “I’m good, too. So long as you help me with Spanish tonight.”

Callie smiled, giving Arizona a quick peck on the lips. Arizona took that as a yes, and turned back to see the smile on Lily’s face. She blushed slightly at a virtual stranger seeing their display of affection but didn’t feel guilty about it.

“Alright then,” Lily said, grabbing a stack of papers and moving towards the small kitchen table. “Let’s set up over here and get to work.”

The two girls stood and followed the lawyer, both excited to take this next step for their family.

 


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

“We need a theme,” Arizona announced, breaking the silence that had been in their bedroom for the last half hour. Both girls were reclined back on their bed, doing their own thing.

“What?” Callie mumbled, not bothering to look away from her text book.

“A theme, for Amelia’s birthday,” Arizona repeated, emphasizing each word.

Closing the book, Callie laid it down beside her before moving to look at the screen of Arizona’s laptop. Her girlfriend was scrolling through a kid’s party planning site. “I thought you were doing homework.”

“I was, but then I got bored,” Arizona admitted. “According to this website, we need a theme. And we should have started planning months ago,” she added.

“Why do we need a theme?” Callie asked. She still secretly thought maybe Arizona was going a little overboard, but she wasn’t about to say it. She loved seeing Arizona’s excitement.

Arizona tried not to roll her eyes at Callie. Obviously party planning wasn’t Callie’s thing, she just didn’t understand. “So that the invitations, cake, decorations and everything else all match. We don’t want everything to be mis-matched and look like we grabbed the first thing off the shelf.”

Okay the cake and decorations Callie could understand. “Do we really need invitations?” It wasn’t like they were inviting a whole bunch of people. Couldn’t they just ask the people they had already talked about inviting?

This time Arizona did roll her eyes at the other girl. “Every party should have invitations. I was thinking maybe we could do Princesses, because she’s our little princess. She doesn’t really have any interests yet, although mom said she was starting to get more curious about TV the other day.” Their family didn’t really watch a lot of TV, never had, but Barbara did like to have it on from time to time for background noise. “She had Mickey Mouse on and Amelia was apparently intrigued.”

“I like the Princess idea,” Callie agreed. “Next year she’ll probably have her own interests so we can do something she likes then.”

“Very true. Princesses it is,” Arizona smiled, her mind already thinking of all the possibilities.

A little while, and several decisions later, movement came over the baby monitor, followed by a sad “mommy, mama.” Arizona went to close the laptop, but Callie stopped her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “I’ll go, you keep planning.” Arizona hesitated, but eventually sat back and watched Callie leave the room.

Ever since the two girls had gone back to school last week, Amelia had been waking up in the middle of the night again. Callie was no stranger to separation anxiety, having gone through it with Amelia almost six months ago. Still it was hard to watch her daughter get so upset when they walked out the door, or wake up scared in the middle of the night. Arizona wasn’t one to sit back when their daughter was upset though, so she always beat her to Amelia’s room when she woke up in the middle of the night.

“What’s a matter, baby girl?” she cooed as she entered to find her daughter standing in her crib, facing the door. Lifting her into her arms, she also grabbed her daughter’s favorite blanket, before moving to sit back in the rocking chair. Settling Amelia against her chest, she covered her with the blanket and began to slowly rock.

“You wake up scared again?” Callie whispered, running a soothing hand through her daughter’s hair. “It’s okay, mommy’s here,” she promised, kissing her baby’s soft head. “Mama’s busy planning your birthday party. She wants to make sure everything is perfect for your big day.”

Callie just smiled, thinking how determined Arizona was, wanting everything to be just right. It only made her love Arizona more. “I don’t even want to know what she’s going to plan for my birthday,” she joked, realizing Arizona was probably listening to them if she didn’t turn the monitor off.

Long after Amelia was sound asleep, Callie sat there rocking her, not wanting to let go. She seriously debated taking her back to their bedroom to sleep with them, knowing Arizona wouldn’t mind. She knew if Amelia slept in their bed tonight, it would quickly become habit. Or Amelia would want it to every night. In the end she finally made herself lay Amelia down in her crib and snuck out quietly.

Returning to their room, she found Arizona laying quietly in their bed, the laptop nowhere to be seen. Changing into boxers and a tank top, Callie climbed into bed beside her girlfriend and pulled Arizona into her arms. “She’s sound asleep,” she whispered in Arizona’s hair, answering the question she knew the other girl was bound to ask.

“Good.” Arizona sighed, titling her head to look up at Callie. “There’s something I wanted to ask you. It seems kind of silly though.”

“What is it?” Callie was curious.

“You’ll be 19 in June,” Arizona started, getting a nod from Callie. “So why aren’t you…” she trailed off, really finding it silly she hadn’t asked before now.

“Why haven’t I already graduated?” Callie guessed. Arizona nodded her head, looking at Callie curiously. “That’s not silly,” Callie reassured her first. “You already know how my parents were when I was growing up. When I was five my parents left the country for several months, leaving me behind of course. By the time they returned they had not only missed the deadline for registration, school was in full swing by then. They had completely forgotten that I needed to start school.”

Arizona sat up a little more, but still in Callie’s arms, waiting for her to continue. “Of course they couldn’t admit that so they claimed that they thought I was just ‘too little’ and all the other kids would be bigger than me, so they held me back a year. Around second or third grade, my teacher tried to get them to let me skip a grade, I was already way ahead of my class. They denied it, thinking it would look like they made a mistake,” Callie finished.

“Oh sweetie, that sucks,” Arizona said sadly, hurting for the five-year-old Callie.

“I won’t deny it sucked, but I wouldn’t change it. If I would have graduated last year like I should have, I wouldn’t have Amelia,” Callie smiled. “And I wouldn’t have met you,” she said, placing a kiss on Arizona’s forehead.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Arizona told her.

“What isn’t?”

“Us not meeting. I’d like to think no matter what, we would have found each other, maybe in Med school, or working in the same hospital, or on a bus even,” Arizona grinned. “We are meant for each other,” she stated without question. “But I do agree it was better this way, because this way we have Amelia.”

“I freaking love you, you know that,” Callie exclaimed, Arizona’s words warming her heart. Not only because of Arizona’s confidence that they would have met in some way. But also because of her love for Amelia. She just hoped the adoption would go through easily so they could show the world what the three of them already knew.

“I freaking love you too,” Arizona grinned, placing a soft kiss on Callie’s shoulder. “I’d really love to show you how much, but we do have school in the morning.”

“I know, let’s get some sleep,” Callie suggested, tugging Arizona closer. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Mmm, goodnight,” Arizona murmured, already heading off to dream land.

**~CA~**

“Mrs. Kaklis, what a surprise,” Arizona greeted. Her and Callie had just barely walked in the door after school when the doorbell rang. “Please come in,” she invited, moving to allow the woman to enter.

“I told you, call me Lily,” she told Arizona with a smile. “Sorry to just drop by, I had some news for the two of you. Is Callie here?”

“Yes, we just got home from school. Callie’s in the kitchen with Amelia,” Arizona told her, leading the way through the house. “We always share a snack with her when we get home.”

“Sorry for intruding then,” Lily apologized again. She had gotten the call as she was dropping her son off at a friend’s house and knew she wasn’t too far from the Robbins’ home. She decided to just drop by instead of calling.

“It’s no problem, really,” Arizona assured. “Look who decided to stop by with news,” she announced as they entered the kitchen. “Lily, this is my mother Barbara,” she introduced. “Mom, this is Lily, the lawyer that’s helping us with the adoption.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Barbara greeted. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Lily declined. “I just came to tell you both,” she started looking at Arizona, and then Callie. “I got a call just a little bit ago. Seems they’ve already looked at your paperwork, which was much quicker than I was anticipating. They want to set up a visit with a social worker as soon as possible.”

“Is this a good thing?” Arizona asked, moving to sit down beside Amelia, who had been signaling for her to come over.

“I think so,” Lily told them. “I can’t say for sure, but I can’t imagine why they’d move so quickly if they didn’t like what they saw.”

“How soon do they want to come?” Callie asked this time, trying to wrap her mind around this quick turn. It had only been just over a week since they submitted the paperwork. Lilly had told them to expect weeks, possibly months before anything like this happened.

“Tomorrow if possible.”

“That soon?” Arizona was floored. “How late are they willing to come? We have school,” she pointed out.

“Social Services closes at five so they usually schedule their last visits by three,” Lily told them.

“That’s cutting it close. We have psychology last period tomorrow though. Mrs. Calloway would understand if we ducked out a little bit early,” Arizona said, thinking aloud.

“Yeah, she would,” Callie agreed. Beside Mrs. Montgomery, Mrs. Calloway had been their biggest supporter. “Go ahead and set it up for tomorrow,” Callie told Lily. Neither girl wanted to put off anything dealing with the adoption. They also didn’t want to give the court any reason to doubt them. It was too important to both of them.

“Alright, let me just call them real quick,” Lily said, heading back into the living room to make the call.

“Wow. I can’t believe this is happening already,” Arizona exclaimed once Lily was out of the room.

“I know, I thought for sure we’d have a long wait on our hands,” Callie admitted.

“Girls, not to put a damper on your excitement, but this could still be a long process,” Barbara told them. She didn’t want them to lose hope, but she didn’t want them to become too excited and be crushed later if something happened.

“We know that,” Arizona promised her mother. “But we can’t help but feel hopeful by this turn of events,” she added, taking the cracker Amelia was holding out to her. “Yummy,” she whispered in Amelia’s ear as she took a bite.

“Mama!” Amelia squealed, “Up!”

“You’re getting too smart,” Arizona told her, taking her out of the highchair.

“Alright, you’re all set for tomorrow at three,” Lily told them as she entered the kitchen once more. Before she could say another word her phone rang in her hand. “Sorry, that’s my wife. I sent her a text asking if she could pick up our kids,” she explained, taking the call. “Hey, sweetheart,” she greeted, earning a smile from everyone in the room.

“I know, we weren’t expecting it to happen this fast. I have to get these girls ready to meet with the social worker tomorrow,” Lily told her wife, not bothering to seek out privacy. “No, you can’t feed them pizza again,” she smiled. Covering her phone, she smiled at everyone, “she can’t cook.”

“Invite them over here for dinner,” Barbara said without thought.

“No, we couldn’t impose like that,” Lily quickly denied.

Barbara dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “Who’s imposing? You’re helping my girls so you’re practically family. We were just going to barbeque hamburgers anyway, we can always throw more on the grill.”

“Are you sure? That’s five more mouths to feed?” Lily asked, not wanting to accept but feeling like Barbara wasn’t one to take no for an answer.

“Positive. I’ll just go call Daniel, tell him to pick up some more meat on his way home,” the elder Robbins said, leaving in search of her phone.

“She doesn’t like the word no, does she?” Lily asked the girls. Callie and Arizona just smiled, shaking their heads. “Change of plans, we’ve been invited to dinner,” Lily told her wife. She gave her the address quickly before hanging up the phone. “I hope your mother knows what she’s gotten herself into. My kids can be a handful,” Lily smiled.

“Trust me, if she could, she’d have the entire neighborhood over here every night for dinner,” Arizona told Lily. “She loves having people over.”

“I don’t actually live here, she just won’t let me leave,” Callie laughed so Lily would know she was kidding, but helping her understand how Barbara was.

“Well, we better get to work while it’s still quiet around here. It won’t be that way as soon as my kids get here,” Lily promised. “Why don’t you give me a tour of the house first so I can make sure your ready there. Then we can sit down and go over the questions you might be asked.

“Everything looks good,” Lily said a half hour later as they made themselves comfortable in the living room. “You’ve done all the necessary baby-proofing. Clearly Amelia’s happy and healthy,” she said, gesturing to the baby who was babbling to them from her playhouse as usual. “Also very loved and spoiled I can see.”

“She’s not spoiled,” Arizona denied, knowing it was useless. Everyone in the house spoiled her rotten, including grandpa. “Well, maybe a little bit,” she conceded. “But she’s just so darn cute.”

“Very cute,” Lily agreed. “Reminds me of my daughter at that age. Who I warn you now is going to latch on to her when she sees her. She’s been bugging for a sister for years now.” As far as they were concerned however, three kids was plenty, for now at least.

“Amelia will love having a playmate. She doesn’t get to play with other kids often, but once summer comes that will hopefully change,” Callie said. It was still a little on the cool side, but she was hoping soon they could start going to the park again and Amelia could make some friends.

“Alright, we have a half hour to go through these questions before my monsters invade, so let’s get to it,” Lily advised. Even though there was more than two decades between her and these two girls, she could already feel a friendship forming between them. They were mature beyond their years. Maybe after tonight, her and her wife would have some new friends here in Seattle, something they were lacking.

“Hit me with the first one,” Arizona said, breaking Lily from her thoughts.

“Okay, here we go.”


	39. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

“So you’ve only been a part of Amelia’s life for the last six months, correct?” Lily asked Arizona. She already knew the answer to this but they were working through the questions that may be asked if they have to go before the court. They had already gone through all the questions the social worker might ask on their visit.

“Correct,” Arizona responded back.

“That’s not really a long time, certainly not long enough to know you are ready to take on the responsibility of being a parent.” Lily was sure that if they ended up before a judge, Arizona’s age might be used against her, so she was trying to prepare her for that possibility. “You haven’t even graduated high school yet, what makes you believe you are ready to be a mother?”

“Because I love her. I fell in love with her the first time Callie put her in my arms. Six months is plenty enough time to know, because I knew the minute I first held her that I never wanted to let go,” Arizona said with all the maturity and sincerity she could muster up. “I have changed her diapers, clothed her, bathed her, and fed her. I’ve gotten up with her in middle of the night, and played with her during the day. No matter what you decide here today,” she told Lily as if she was speaking to the judge, “I will still be her mother. In my heart I will always be her mother.”

“Good… good answer,” Lily told her, dropping the pretense and choking back the emotion she felt. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Callie wiping at her own eyes. Arizona’s answer was exactly the kind of response she was looking for.

“That was amazing,” Callie whispered, wrapping an arm around Arizona’s back and placing a kiss on her cheek. “I love you so much.”

Turning to look Callie in the eyes, she got lost in the look of love she was receiving. “I love you too,” Arizona whispered back, placing a quick kiss on Callie’s lips. Just as they were going for a second kiss, the doorbell rang, bringing them back to reality.

“That would probably be my herd,” Lily laughed. Standing together, Lily followed Arizona as she headed towards the front door. “Yep, definitely mine,” Lily smiled as the door opened to reveal two children fighting to hit the doorbell again. “Quit fighting you two,” she reprimanded.

“Sorry, Mama,” both apologized quickly, looking down at their feet.

“That’s better. Now come on in,” she told them as Arizona stood back to allow them to enter. “Where’s mom, and Andy?” she asked when she didn’t see her wife or oldest son.

“Still in the car, Andy wanted to talk to her about something,” the boy answered.

“Alright.” Leading the twins into the living room, they were joined by Barbara and Daniel who had just gotten home a few minutes earlier. “This is George,” she introduced, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder. “And this is Eleanor.”

A light knock on the door Arizona left open halted introductions. “Come on in,” Barbara called, her voice leading the rest of the Kaklis clan in to join them. “Lily here was just introducing us to your children,” she told the twosome as they entered the living room. “I’m Barbara,” she greeted, holding a hand out for the other woman.

“Anna,” she answered back, shaking Barbara’s hand gently. “And this big guy here is Andy,” she told the group. Soon after, the names of the Robbins/Torres clan flew around the room.

Callie smiled pointing at her daughter who was happily watching from her favorite spot, the window of her playhouse. “That little girl in the playhouse is Amelia,” she spoke more for the kids benefit, since the two youngest couldn’t seem to take their eyes off of the purple castle. “I’m sure she’d be more than willing to share her playhouse with you,” she told them, giving them permission to go over there.

“She looks just like me,” Eleanor gushed, walking over to pat Amelia on the head.

“Yeah, she kind of does, baby,” Lily agreed. “Since Andy’s father was Latino, when we decided to get pregnant, we chose a Latino sperm donor,” she quietly explained to the other adults in the room. Nobody seemed to even blink an eye at their children, but then she wouldn’t expect this group to anyway.

“Well it was obviously a good choice, they are beautiful children, all three of them,” Barbara said sincerely, causing Andy to blush who was still standing by his mothers. “Why don’t you go get the grill started,” she suggested to her husband.

“Sure, what does everyone want? Hot dogs or hamburgers?” Daniel asked the group.

“Can I have a hot dog?” George asked, looking at his moms for permission.

“Of course, son,” Anna answered.

“Me too,” Eleanor chimed in.

“What about you?” Daniel asked Andy.

Andy looked up at Daniel, fidgeting slightly. Something about him, reminded Andy of his grandfather, but still he was kind of intimidating. He also couldn’t decide which one he wanted, he loved both. “Can I have one of each?” he asked quietly.

“Sure you can,” Daniel answered with a smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Robbins,” Andy said, using the manners his mothers had taught him.

“Nobody calls me Mr. Robbins,” Daniel laughed. “Most call me The Colonel, but you can call me Daniel,” he told Andy, patting him on the shoulder. “What to help me with the grill?”

“Can I?” he asked, turning excited eyes to his mothers.

“Of course you can,” Lily told him. “But be careful and listen to Daniel.”

“I will,” Andy promised, quickly following Daniel into the backyard.

“Your husband just made his day,” Anna told Barbara. “He gets to do things with his grandfather and uncle, but they are the only real men in his life.”

“I’m sure it’ll make Daniel just as happy. Since my son, Tim, got stationed out of state, he’s been surrounded by all us girls.

The five women moved to the kitchen, continuing to chat while Callie and Barbara went to work on the side dishes. Since Callie had moved into the Robbins home, helping Barbara with the cooking had become a habit. Arizona was usually on Amelia duty during that time, but with two other children in the room entertaining her, she took a spot by the door where she could hear if she was needed.

“Food’s ready,” Andy happily yelled, carrying a small plate of hotdogs inside. Following closely behind him was Daniel with a plate full of hamburgers.

“Just set them on the table,” Barbara instructed the boys. “We’ll fix our plates up in here and eat in the dining room.” There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Barbara was very happy to have a house full of people as she waited until everyone else fixed their plates before moving to serve herself.

**~CA~**

“I can’t believe how those two met,” Arizona told Callie later that night. Sliding onto their bed, she propped herself up against the pillows, watching Callie as she finished getting ready for bed. “It was like fate.”

“It is a pretty incredible story,” Callie agreed, pulling a clean, black tank top over her head, earning a pout from Arizona. It was already later than they normally went to bed and they wanted to get plenty of sleep because tomorrow would be a very long day. They tried not to sleep in the nude, even though the temptation was huge, in case one of them had to get up with Amelia during the night.

“To have survived that and found the love of your life,” Arizona said dreamily. She knew she had romanticized Anna and Lily’s story in her head, but it was just so amazing that they had found each other in such horrible circumstances.

Callie smiled at her girlfriend, enjoying the look on Arizona’s face. Climbing into her side of the covers, she waited until Arizona was situated next to her before turning off the lamp. “You are such a romantic at heart,” Callie whispered, pulling Arizona so she was snuggled in her arms. “And I’m absolutely crazy about you.” Placing a kiss on Arizona’s waiting lips, it soon became passionate and hungry.

“I’m pretty crazy about you myself,” Arizona whispered as she pulled away. “And I really, _really_ , want you right now, but we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.”

“I know. It will be fine,” Callie promised when she saw the worry in Arizona’s eyes. Knowing someone was going to come into your home and judge you was a bit terrifying. But Arizona was a good mother, and surely anyone who was looking could see that. “Get some sleep, baby.”

**~CA~**

Twenty minutes before school was to be let out, Callie and Arizona began packing up their things and quietly left the classroom. Mrs. Calloway had been more than understanding when they told her why they needed to leave class a little early. She wished them luck and asked them to let her know how it went.

“Did Lily say if she would be there as well?” Arizona asked as they walked the quick block home. “I can’t remember if she did or not.”

“No, she’s not needed for this visit. This visit is just to show them Amelia’s environment and how you interact with her,” Callie responded, trying to remember all the information Lily had given them the day before.

“Right, so we act naturally and do what we normally do. Got it.” She wouldn’t admit it, but Arizona was freaking out just a little bit. She knew they weren’t there to take Amelia away from her, she’d always be hers, this was just formalities. Still she desperately wanted it to go well.

Taking Arizona’s hand in her own, Callie entwined their fingers, pulling the blonde closer for a quick kiss as they walked. “Just be yourself. It’ll be fine,” she promised for probably the tenth time that day.

Entering through the side door, they found Amelia already in her highchair, chowing down on her afternoon snack of Gerber yogurt bites. “Well don’t you look pretty today, Miss Amelia,” Arizona greeted, placing a kiss between the baby’s two ponytails on the top of her head.

“I managed to get her to go down early for her nap today, so she’d be all ready in time for your visitor,” Barbara smiled from her place next to the counter where she was working on next week’s grocery list. She’d also changed her outfit after her nap so she looked all fresh and clean, wanting to make a good impression on the person who had so much say in their family.

This adoption wouldn’t just affect Arizona and Amelia, it would also impact the rest of the Robbins clan. Daniel and Barbara would become grandparents and Tim would be an uncle in the eyes of the law. Of course it wouldn’t change how anyone felt, as far as both elder Robbins were concerned, Amelia was their granddaughter and Callie was their daughter.

Running a washcloth under warm water, Arizona wiped Amelia’s hands and face, while Callie ran their book bags upstairs to their room. “You are such a pretty girl,” Arizona told Amelia as she lifted her out of the highchair. “You gotta give our visitor your best smiles, okay?” she told her daughter, earning one of the very smiles she was talking about.

“Pay, pay,” Amelia requested, bouncing in her mama’s arms.

“We’ll play later, promise sweet girl.”

Hearing a car stop outside, Arizona headed for the living room, meeting up with Callie as she came down the stairs. “I think she, or maybe he is here,” Arizona added as an afterthought. Lily hadn’t been told who would be showing up, so they weren’t sure what to expect.

“Let’s go greet them then,” Callie suggested, moving to open the front door before their guest could ring the bell. “Hello there,” she greeted the woman.

“Anxious are we?” the woman smiled kindly, putting them both at ease instantly. “I’m Cindy Hansen.”

“Welcome Mrs. Hansen,” Arizona greeted, switching Amelia to her left side so that she could shake the other woman’s hand.

“Some people in my line of work prefer to be called by their title. I am not one of them. Please call me Cindy,” she requested, putting both girls instantly at ease. “You must be Arizona,” she deduced by the file she was given.

“Yes, I am.”

“That would make you Calliope,” Cindy said, turning to the other young woman.

“Please, call me Callie. Nobody but my dad and Arizona call me Calliope,” Callie said with a hint of fake annoyance in her tone. She loved the rare times when Arizona called her by her full name. It was more of a term of endearment than anything.

“Callie it is then. That must mean this cutie here is Amelia,” Cindy said, bending over so she was looking at Amelia face-to-face. Amelia smiled at her for a minute, not sure what to think, then turned her face to hide in Arizona’s neck.

“Sorry, she’s usually pretty good with strangers,” Arizona apologized, not sure why Amelia had gone shy today of all days.

“It’s alright,” Cindy waved her hand in dismissal. “Kids feed off of the emotions of others and I know this is probably scary to both of you. You can both relax though,” she told them, seeing the tension in both girls’ shoulders. When this case file had first shown up on her desk she didn’t know what to think, but after reading it over she had to say she was impressed. “Where would you liked to start? With the tour or chat first?”

“We’ll show you around first,” Arizona answered, figuring that would make the most sense. Leading the social worker through the house, they covered the bottom floor first, introducing her to Barbara while in the kitchen.  Heading up stairs they started in Amelia’s room, and ended with their room before heading back to the living room.

“So your brother Tim doesn’t live here?” Cindy asked, going to her notes about seeing his bedroom.

“No he’s in the Air Force and he lives in Utah. He visits from time to time, but with Amelia having what was the guest room, my parents are thinking of converting his to the guest room,” Arizona explained.

“And he’s good with Amelia?”

“He’s wonderful with her. She has him wrapped around her little finger,” Callie answered this time, showing Cindy a picture of Tim and Amelia from their trip to Utah on her phone.

“You showed me your bedroom, so I’m assuming you live together like any other couple and that is okay with both your families?” Cindy hated asking such personal questions at times but it was all a part of her job.

Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, both silently asking each other what the best way to answer that would be. They weren’t sure if it would hurt them or help them.

“My husband and I love having Callie and Amelia here,” Barbara answered for them, taking a seat beside the girls. “We know it’s a little unorthodox, but I’ve spoken with Callie’s father many times and he’s in agreement that they are better off living here.”

“Why is that?” Cindy asked, more out of curiosity than a need to know. She was already fairly positive of what her assessment was going to be.

“My mother wasn’t happy when I got pregnant. She is strict Catholic and believes children shouldn’t be born out of wedlock. She refuses to even acknowledge that she has a granddaughter. Telling her I was in a relationship with Arizona was just the icing on the already very large cake,” Callie explained.

“I see.”

“Not that you’re asking for my opinion,” Barbara speaks up. “But these two girls are meant to be together. I knew it the first time Callie walked into our home. I’ve seen my share of couples far less committed to each other. Arizona loves Amelia as if she was her own, we all do. They belong together.”

“I agree,” Cindy tells her, forcing three pairs of eyes to snap in her direction. “Honestly the only real thing stopping your case from going to the next step is your age. I have copies of your grades and even a letter of recommendation from your vice-principal.” Which did almost get a laugh out of Cindy when she read it. It wasn’t every day she got to read one of those. “I also have copies of Amelia’s medical files and notes from her doctors all saying the same thing. That she’s happy and healthy under the circumstances. I see no reason for a second visit. I’ve seen everything I need to today.”

“Really?” Arizona asked in disbelief. It really was sounding far too easy.

“Now if it was up to mean, I’d have no problem signing off on this adoption. Unfortunately it’s not up to me, but to a judge. I see no reason for Social Services to be involved however, so I’ll put that in your file as well as my approval.”

“Thank you so much,” Arizona told her sincerely, wanting to give the other woman a hug, but forcing herself to stay seated. “You have no idea how nervous I’ve been about this visit.”

“I can imagine. Well I best be going now,” Cindy said, standing and sliding her notes back into her bag. “I should have just enough time when I get back to push your file through.”

“Well, thank you again,” Arizona said, standing up to walk her out. “We all really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. You do make a really good family, all of you. I hope it works out for you.” There was nothing but sincerity in Cindy’s eyes as she spoke.

Waving a final goodbye as Cindy’s car pulled away from the curb, Arizona closed the door and turned to find a smiling Callie standing behind her. “See I told you it would be fine.”

“That you did,” Arizona smiled, pulling Callie into a giant hug. Tucking her face into Callie’s neck. “Now we just have to hope a judge likes me,” she whispered, feeling Callie’s hands run up and down her back.

“He, or she, will. Nobody can resist the Arizona charm, I know I couldn’t.” They were so close now to getting what they wanted. It seemed incredible that it was happening this fast. Still, they knew even if the court approved it, there might be a waiting period. But they’d take it in stride because this was only one of two big steps that needed to happen.

The other step wasn’t ever too far from either girl’s mind. Although neither of them had brought it up, they both secretly wondered when the right time would be to pop the question.


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Still half asleep, Callie wrinkled her nose and attempted to swat away whatever was currently tickling it. When her fingers got caught in something, she slowly opened her eyes to find her entire face covered in Arizona’s blonde hair. They had fallen asleep last night with Callie wrapped around Arizona’s back, holding her close.

Smiling, she placed a kiss on the back of Arizona’s neck, before climbing out of bed. There was something she’d been wanting to do for a couple of weeks now, but hadn’t found the right time. Today might just be the day to pull it off. Turning off the baby monitor, she snuck quietly out of the room, careful not to wake her sleeping girlfriend.

With a spring in her step, she moved quickly to Amelia’s room, rousing the baby slowly. It wasn’t often she woke before Amelia, but for her to pull off her little plan, Amelia needed to be awake.

“Mommy,” Amelia whimpered, rubbing her little eyes as Callie picked her up.

“Shh, mommy’s got you. We got to get you dressed so we can surprise Mama,” she whispered into Amelia’s hair, planting a kiss on the top of her head. With her free hand, she reached into Amelia’s closet, finding the sack she’d hidden on the little ledge above the door, grateful Arizona hadn’t found her hiding spot yet.

“Let’s get you dressed,” Callie told her daughter, laying her down on the changing table. Throwing the pajamas in the hamper, she made quick work of Amelia’s wet diaper and then covered her in her morning layer of baby lotion. Taking the brand new onesie out of the bag, she slipped it over her daughters head. “Perfect.”

Handing Amelia the other item in the bag, she let her chew on the end while she positioned her on her hip so that Arizona wouldn’t be able to see the front until she was ready. “Let’s go wake your mama,” she told her daughter.

“Arizona,” Callie called softly, standing next to their bed. “Wake up sleepyhead.

“Don’t wanna,” Arizona protested, but opened her eyes and sat up anyway. “Ohh, someone is up already,” she smiled, seeing both her favorite girls in the room. Amelia had what looked to be a marker in her hand, and made Arizona wonder why Callie was letting her chew on the end, even if it wasn’t the end you wrote with.

“Yep, and she has a question to ask you.”

Arizona quirked an eyebrow up at her girlfriend. “Oh she does, does she?”

“Yes, she does.” Turning Amelia, she settled the baby so that her back was to Callie’s front, letting Arizona see the writing on Amelia’s shirt for the first time.

Curious, Arizona studied the writing. “Mama, will you go to prom with Mommy?” she read aloud, seeing a check box next to the words ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Once the meaning took hold, Arizona smiled and sat up on her knees so she could get closer to her girls. Taking the marker from Amelia gently, so as not to make her cry, she drew a check mark next to her answer. “Of course I’ll go with you, Calliope,” she laughed, tilting her head so they could share a quick kiss.

“Good,” Callie smiled. Callie had been to a few school dances in the past, but always alone, never with a date. She was sure Arizona had never been to any, so when she saw the poster a few weeks ago announcing prom, she decided they needed to go. It was one of their last chances to remind themselves that they weren’t just mothers, but high school seniors as well.

“It’s in what? A week?” Arizona asked, trying to remember.

“A week from tomorrow, the day after Amelia’s party,” Callie answered. They had decided to do Amelia’s birthday party on her actual birthday because Tim would be able to fly in early on Friday but had to be back early Saturday morning.

 “That so isn’t enough time,” Arizona said dramatically, hurrying out of bed and headed for the shower to get ready for the day. Her mind already trying to come up with what kind of dress she wanted to find and if she’d have enough time to go look.

“Your mama is so silly sometimes,” Callie whispered, sitting her daughter down in the playpen in their room so she too could get ready for the day.

Once both girls were dressed and ready for school, they headed downstairs for breakfast with Amelia in Arizona’s arms. The blonde went to work feeding Amelia while Callie poured both of them a bowl of cereal. “Thank you,” Arizona told Callie, when she sat the bowl down in front of her.

“You’re welcome.”

“Good morning girls,” Barbara greeting, breezing into the room and giving them each a kiss on the head. “Well isn’t that so sweet,” she awed, seeing the familiar handwriting on Amelia’s shirt. She smiled at the playful way the two teenagers were with each other, glad they decided to do something to remind them they were teenagers.

“You can change her if you want to, I just didn’t have the heart to,” Arizona told her mother. She wasn’t sure what her mother had planned for the day, but she could understand if Barbara didn’t want to take her out of the house with that on.

“Are you kidding me? No way am I taking that off, she looks so cute in it. When is it?” Barbara asked curiously.

“Next Saturday,” Arizona answered.

“Oh good then Amelia will having plenty of company while you two are gone.” Seeing the confused looks on both girls’ faces she realized what she hadn’t told them yet. “Oh I forgot, your grandmother called last night. They said they could be here for a couple weeks after all. They get here on Thursday.”

“Really?” Arizona asked excitedly. She hadn’t seen her grandparents since Tim’s graduation last year. She knew they would be here for her graduation, but was excited they were coming for Amelia’s birthday as well.

“Yep, their flight gets in around five on Thursday,” Barbara told her, loving the smile on her daughter’s face. Arizona loved her grandparents, but didn’t get to see them often. It made Barbara sad that her own parents didn’t really care to be involved in their lives. She was grateful she’d married into such a loving family like the Robbins though. She shared a smile with Callie, knowing exactly what it felt like to be welcomed into the Robbins clan.

**~CA~**

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Arizona asked Callie, watching as the older girl’s knee bounced in her seat.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” Callie lied, her eyes darting around their environment.

“Then relax,” Arizona told her, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s knee to still its movement. She knew Callie wasn’t as good as she claimed she was, but she really didn’t need to be so nervous. “You can go wait in the car if you really want to,” she offered.

“That would make such a fine first impression,” Callie sarcastically replied. Letting the feel of Arizona’s hand on her knee calm her, she took a deep breath, settling back in her seat. Placing her own hand over Arizona’s, she entwined their fingers, concentrating on the comfort it gave her.

“They are going to love you. I promise,” Arizona whispered, placing a kiss just below her ear. “Come on, it’s almost time,” she whispered again before disconnecting their hands so she could take Amelia out of her stroller beside them. Standing up with the baby in her arms, she held a hand out to Callie, helping her up.

“Oh my goodness, look at how much she’s grown up,” a familiar voice reached Arizona ears. Smiling, she looked through the throngs of people, finally finding the face that matched the voice.

“Grandma! Grandpa,” Arizona greeted, moving as quickly as she could towards them. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“We’re happy to be here too, darling,” her grandmother smiled, wrapping her in an awkward hug. “Isn’t this just the cutest little baby,” she said, running a finger over Amelia’s cheeks.

“Grandma, Grandpa, I’d like you to meet Amelia, my daughter,” Arizona introduced. “Can you say hi Amelia?” Amelia gave them each a smile, and a wave.

“Where’s this girl of yours?” her grandfather asked, not seeing anyone standing beside his granddaughter.

Arizona turned to look behind her, seeing Callie standing several feet away. She waved her closer, seeing the apprehensive look on her girlfriend’s face. “I told you, they will love you,” she whispered again once Callie was standing beside her. “This is my girlfriend, Callie,” she told the older Robbins, placing an arm around Callie’s back. “Callie meet William and Laura Robbins.”

“It’s good to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Robbins” Callie greeted shyly. She was still nervous but reached a hand out to both of them. William took her hand, but Laura ignored it, pulling her into a hug.

“Please, call us Bill and Laura, or even Grandma and Grandpa, we don’t mind,” Laura told her. “We’ve heard so much about you both. Although Barbara didn’t do you justice, you are both so gorgeous,” she exclaimed, looking between Callie and Amelia. “Welcome to the family.”

Callie really wasn’t expecting to be welcomed so easily. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. The whole Robbins family was so very accepting and loving. “Thank you,” she told them sincerely.

Laura smiled at Callie, before wrapping her arms around Arizona and leaning down to speak quietly with her granddaughter. “So your mother tells me you’re trying to adopt Amelia, how’s that going?” she asked, leading them towards baggage claim.

Callie fell in step with Bill, pushing the stroller, unable to hear the conversation in front of her through all the noise of the busy airport. She wasn’t sure if she should start a conversation with Arizona’s grandfather or not. Not knowing what to say, she just walked quietly beside him.

“My wife was so excited when she heard we had a baby in the family,” Bill said a few minutes later, breaking the silence. “We all pretty much knew by the time Arizona turned eight that she was gay. We loved her just the same you know, but Laura was always worried that she might never have kids. She had a smiled plastered on her face all day when Barbara called to tell us about Amelia.”

“Our situation isn’t exactly normal,” Callie felt the need to point out. She wasn’t sure if there was a point to what Bill was telling her, or if it was him making conversation.

“No, I don’t suppose it is,” Bill agreed. “Our family isn’t really known for being the definition of normal anyway. Arizona says that baby is her daughter, that’s good enough for the rest of us. Logistics don’t matter, love does.”

“I agree with you there,” Callie told him, turning a glance his way. “Those two are so in love with each other,” she told him, gesturing to Amelia and Arizona. “I don’t think anything in the universe could separate them. Arizona may not have had anything to do with Amelia’s conception or birth, but she was clearly supposed to be her mother.” Callie meant every word of that.

“Never been big on fate or destiny or anything like that. But the day Arizona called us up to invite us to her daughter’s birthday party was one I’ll never forget. No one listening in on that conversation would have believed she didn’t give birth to that little girl. All I’ve ever wanted was for my children and grandchildren to be happy. Clearly, Arizona is more than happy. So thank you,” Bill told Callie, giving her a fatherly pat on the shoulder, much like Daniel was known to do.

“Nothing to thank me for, she makes me extremely happy as well,” Callie admitted.

A few minutes later the entire group stood around the luggage belt and waited for the Robbins’ luggage to come around, making small talk as they did. Both grandparents asked about the girls’ schooling and their grades, all the normal things a grandparent showed interest in.

Taking the lead, Arizona led her grandparents out to the parking lot, trying to remember where they’d parked. Finding the black SUV, she hit the remote to unlock the vehicle and opened the back to load up the suitcases.

“Whose vehicle is this?” Bill asked curiously. He doubted his son and daughter-in-law would ever buy a Lexus. Especially considering the price tag that would come attached to a vehicle like this one.

“It’s mine sir,” Callie answered. “My father bought it for me when I had Amelia,” she explained, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason. She knew Arizona couldn’t care less about Callie’s money, but she was always weary of other people’s opinions.

“It’s nice, really roomy,” Laura told them, climbing into the backseat next to Amelia.

“Yes, and much safer than my Thunderbird was,” Callie agreed as she sat down in the driver’s seat. Bill took the passenger seat beside her. Arizona let him have it, thinking he probably didn’t want to sit in the back with the baby.

“You had a Thunderbird?” Bill asked in disbelief. He wouldn’t have expected a kid of his granddaughter’s generation to even know what that was, much less own one.

“Um, still have actually,” Callie said sheepishly. “It’s still in the garage at my parent’s house since there wasn’t room for it at the Robbins.”

“Can I see it sometime?” Bill asked like a child wanting to open his Christmas presents.

Callie smiled, no longer finding Bill intimidating. Daniel definitely took after his father and she couldn’t wait to get to know this older generation of Robbins. “Sure, we can take it out sometime while you’re here. It probably needs to be driven anyway.”

Laura leaned over Amelia, signalling for Arizona to do the same. “Your girlfriend just made his day,” she whispered with a laugh.

“Who would have thought they’d bond over cars?” Arizona whispered back, turning back to listen as Callie and her grandfather began discussing different cars. “You know the lawyer who is helping us through the adoption, her wife owns a series of BMW and VW dealerships. Maybe we should take the kids to go play,” she teased, nodding her head at the two in the front seat.

“Your grandfather would love that. He’s been talking about getting a BMW for years, but I keep telling him no. Maybe if we go look, it’ll get it out of his system,” Laura reasoned.

“Or you’ll be driving back home in a brand new car,” Arizona smiled. They both knew that was more likely to happen.

“Mama, num nums,” Amelia cried, breaking their conversation. Her lip jutted out, on the verge of a full blown pout.

Arizona ran her hand through Amelia’s hair. “I know you’re hungry, we’re almost home I promise,” she told her daughter. It had taken them far too long to work their way through all of the people and leave the airport. By the time they made it home it would be close to an hour past Amelia’s usual dinner time. “Here, why don’t you drink your juice until we get there,” she offered, grabbing the sippy cup out of the diaper bag.

Laura watched in awe as her granddaughter took care of Amelia, quickly diffusing the situation before the baby could start crying. It had only been a year since they’d seen Arizona, but the girl had grown up so much in that time. She hardly recognized the adult, the mother, sitting before her. “You are going to be such a wonderful mother,” she told Arizona. “Amelia is so lucky to have you.”

“Believe me, I’m the lucky one,” Arizona responded, her eyes never leaving Amelia, the two of them shared a smile as Amelia drank her juice.

The next few weeks were going to be fun Laura decided. She couldn’t wait to get to know the girl, and the child that had stolen her granddaughter’s heart. She could already feel her own heart melting for the baby that was now patting her mama on the cheek with one hand, holding firm to her cup with the other. Yes, a fun time it was going to be.


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

“Good morning, birthday girl,” Arizona cheerily called as she entered Amelia’s room with Callie right behind her. The little girl was standing up in her crib with a huge grin plastered on her face.

“I think somebody knows it’s her special day,” Callie smiled, lifting her daughter into her arms. “Is it your birthday?” she asked in a sing-song voice. Amelia smiled and shook her head. She had no idea what was going on, but she could feel her parents’ excitement.

Dressing Amelia in the brand new outfit they purchased just for her birthday, the three of them headed down to the kitchen where Barbara, Daniel, and Arizona’s grandparents were already waiting. “Look who’s all ready to celebrate her birthday,” Arizona said in greeting to her parents.

“Oh, she’s just the cutest thing ever,” Barbara gushed. “Now that you’re a big a girl, Grandma’s made you some of her homemade waffles.”

Sitting Amelia down in her highchair, Callie covered her with the large plastic bib they’d bought a few days earlier now that Amelia was going to be eating more table food and feeding herself. While she did that, Arizona tore up a waffle into small pieces, adding a little bit of syrup to it. “Maybe we should have waited to get her dressed,” Callie thought out loud, already thinking about the sticky mess that would result from the syrup.

“She’ll be fine and we’ll help her if we need to,” Arizona dismissed. They both watched with a smile on their faces as chubby little fingers reached into the pile of food.  “She’s getting so big, I can’t believe it,” Arizona sighed. “Seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms for the first time.”

“You?” Callie started. “It feels like it was just yesterday that I was standing over her incubator, praying she’d be alright,” she told them, the emotion in her voice very evident. “She was so tiny. Now look at her, she’s more than made up for it,” she grinned. While Amelia was still on the small side for her age, she wasn’t too far behind.

“Do you have any pictures of her then?” Arizona wondered aloud. “I’ve seen all the ones since she came home but you never told me if there were any from her hospital stay.” She knew in theory how small Amelia had been, but she hadn’t seen it for herself.

“Yeah I have an album somewhere at my parents’ house. I’ll call my dad on our lunch break today and see if he can bring it tonight,” Callie told her. She’d made the album knowing someday Amelia might want to see them, but she’d never thought to show it to Arizona.

“Do we really have to go to school?” Arizona whined. It seemed like a crime to leave their little girl on her birthday.

Callie laughed. “Yes, we really have to go to school. Amelia will be just fine surrounded by all her grandparents spoiling her. She won’t even notice we’re gone,” she reasoned.

“I for one am looking forward to spending time with my great-granddaughter without her moms around,” Laura chimed in, happy to just be a spectator earlier. She had watched the girls the night before and noticed how well they worked together. They were no different from her and her husband, making her believe they truly were meant to be together.

“See, she’ll be fine. Eat some breakfast so we’re not late,” Callie commanded, leaving no room for argument.

**~CA~**

Later that night everyone was crowded around the living room chatting idly. Carlos had only just arrived so they hadn’t moved on to the celebrations yet. When the doorbell rang, Arizona looked around the room, seeing that everyone they’d invited was already there, including Tim, Mark, and Lexie. She exchanged a look with Callie, silently asking if she knew who it was, but the girl just smiled and nodded her head for Arizona to answer the door.

She was pleasantly surprised to find the entire Kaklis clan on the other side. “Sorry we’re a little late. You know how kids can be,” Anna apologized quietly, signaling her head down to the twin six-year olds.

“It’s alright. Carlos just got here, himself,” Arizona told them, still not sure what was going on.

Callie came up behind her, placing a light hand on Arizona’s back. “You guys made it. Everyone is in the living room,” she said, motioning for them to join the group. “I knew how much you wanted a big party for Amelia, and how much you enjoyed having the Kaklis’ over that one night, so I invited them,” she whispered in Arizona’s ear, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s waist.

“Awe, you’re so sweet. Thank you,” Arizona told her, turning her head so she could place a kiss on Callie’s lips. Arizona really had enjoyed having the two ladies and their family over that night. It was nice to have spent some time with another lesbian couple who had kids.

“Anything for you sweetheart. You amaze me every day and I love you,” Callie smiled, kissing her again.

“I love you too, Calliope.”

“Amelia, tell your moms to quit playing kissy face and get in here so you can open your presents,” Tim shouted.

Embarrassed, both girls turned to find the whole room watching them. From the looks of it, they had been watching since before Tim’s little statement, making them both blush. Shrugging it off, Arizona pulled out of Callie’s arms, taking her hand instead and pulling her back into the other room. “You are so dead,” she whispered in her brother’s ear as they passed him.

Sitting down on the floor, Callie called Amelia, trying to coax her over but she was too busy playing with the twins to care. Seeing the problem her girlfriend was having, and since she hadn’t sat down yet, Arizona walked over to their girl and picked her up, sitting her down in her mom’s lap under protest. “You’ll be happy in a minute,” Callie soothed, gesturing to Arizona to hand them a present.

Arizona grabbed the one from Mark and Lexie, and sat down in front of her girlfriend and daughter, handing them the present. Callie tore a small rip in the paper, hoping Amelia would get the hint and go for it herself. It took her a minute, but once Callie ripped it a second time Amelia understood and tried to help out.

“Thank you guys,” Callie told their friends when the talking teddy bear came into view. “Look Amelia, he teaches you how to count and say the alphabet,” she told her daughter. She was fairly certain Lexie picked this out. It didn’t seem like the kind of gift Mark would come up with.

“You can switch it to Spanish too,” Lexie informed them. Turning the box over, Callie realized she was right. Callie always intended for Amelia to be bilingual and Arizona agreed. The blonde was working even harder on her Spanish so she could join her girls.

Dozens of presents later, most of them from the spoiling grandparents, they finally saw the end in sight. Amelia had grown tired long ago, leaving Callie and Arizona to do most of the work. The twins, George and Ellie, had taken turns handing them the next gift, but they had grown tired as well.

New outfits were scattered around the room. The small tricycle that Callie and Arizona had picked out, sat behind them. There was also a plastic basketball hoop from Tim, a small table and chairs with a kitchen set from Barbara and Daniel, and a doll and stroller from the Kaklis clan. Other small toys and books were in a pile by the couch as well.

“Just one more thing,” Carlos announced once they’d reached the end. “I’ve got her trust fund all set up,” he held up a hand to stop Callie’s protest. “I know you want to do things yourself, she won’t get to use her trust until she turns 21, just like yours. I did however, start a bank account for her that you two can add to it for her college or whatever. I’ll add some as well here and there but I promise I won’t go overboard.” It was a hard promise to make, but one he’d keep. If he had it his way his daughter and granddaughter would forever be taken care of. He was proud of Callie, though, for wanting to provide for her own family.

“Thank you,” Callie told him, taking the packet of information her dad was handing her and setting it with the other presents.

“Arizona’s name is on there as well so you both have control,” he added.

Touched by the gesture, Arizona gave him a smile. “Thank you. That means a lot that you’d think of me,” she told him honestly.

“No need to thank me. You’re just as much her mother as Callie is. We can all see that,” he responded back, getting a nod from pretty much everyone else in the room in agreement.

“Alright, who’s ready for cake and ice cream?” Barbara asked, getting a delighted yell from the twins.

Standing up first, Arizona reached for Amelia, getting her out of Callie’s lap so her girlfriend could stand up. They stripped her down to only her onesie and diaper. Their plan was to throw the onesie away if it got destroyed today. Arizona went about getting her in her highchair while Callie lit the numbered candle on the miniature cake that would be her own personal cake.

A chorus of “Happy Birthday” rose up around the little girl as Callie placed the cake down in front of her daughter, careful to keep Amelia’s hands away from the fire. Arizona and Callie both tried to show her how to blow the candle out, but when that didn’t work, Arizona blew it out for her. Giving her a small bite so she knew she could eat it, they then left her alone to demolish it. A video camera was already set up and filming so they could capture the whole thing.

“We should have done that for our kids,” Lily told Anna. “Look at how much fun she’s having.” She pointed at Amelia who was currently digging into the middle of the cake with both hands.

“It’s a Robbins family tradition,” Barbara told the couple. “You get a cake that’s just yours. Arizona made such a huge mess, but didn’t leave a bit of frosting if she could help it. Tim was a little more… cautious, I guess, is the word. He ate about half of his, but he took a chunk at a time and ate it all before moving on.”

“Mama, can I have your phone?” Andy asked Lily, interrupting their conversation.

“When we leave you can,” Lily answered.

“Mom?” he tried again with his other mother.

“You heard Mama,” Anna told him, knowing she had to side with Lily on this, even if she realized how bored their almost teenager probably was right now.

“Hey kid, why don’t you and I go out back? We can shoot some hoops,” Mark suggested, he was getting a little bored himself but knew Lexie wasn’t ready to leave yet.

“Sure,” Andy shrugged, he wasn’t really into the sport, but it would give him something to do at least.

Finishing off the rest of his cake, Tim threw his plate in the trash. “Wait up, I’ll come too.”

Slowly the party began to move outside since no one wanted to waste such a nice day. The only ones who remained in the kitchen were Arizona, Callie, and Amelia while they waited for their little girl to decide she was done eating. Once they cleaned her up and redressed her, they followed everyone outside to find all of the men on the makeshift court and the women on the sidelines chatting away. The twins were in the playhouse that was now officially outside, and as soon as Amelia was on the ground she was wobbling in their direction.

“She’s walking now huh?” Lily asked, seeing Amelia heading for her kids.

Callie smiled proudly. “Yes, she is. Although she typically only takes a few steps and then falls.  But she’s getting better.”

“She was a preemie wasn’t she?” Lily inquired, thinking she’d heard that somewhere.

“Yes, about nine weeks,” Callie told her, going to sit down next to Lily.

“Our twins were too. But they more than made up for it later,” this came from Anna, the love for their children evident.

Not noticing her daughter walking towards her, Callie was surprised to feel a tug on her pant leg. “Mommy, cup?” Amelia asked her.

“You need a drink, huh?” Callie smiled down at her. “You must be playing really hard.”

“I’ll go get it,” Arizona offered, thinking maybe Callie would like to keep talking with Lily and Anna now that she knew they had something in common.

“Thanks sweetie,” Callie told her, leaning over for a quick peck on the lips.

“You two are so cute together,” Lily gushed, reminded of the early days of her and Anna’s relationship.

“I never thought I’d fall in love with a woman, but Arizona is definitely the one I’m meant to be with,” Callie said.

“I know what you mean,” Anna agreed, sharing a loving look with Lily. This jumped started them deeper into parts of Anna and Lily’s story that they hadn’t shared yet. Arizona felt bummed she’d missed some of it when she came back with Amelia’s cup, but  being a hopeless romantic at heart, she gladly listened to the rest.

Feeling a gentle hand on her shoulder, Callie looked up knowing it wasn’t Arizona. “Can I talk to you privately for a minute?” Laura whispered in her ear.

“Um, sure,” Callie spoke softly, slowly getting out of her chair. She exchanged a look with Arizona to see if she had a clue, but she didn’t. When Arizona tried to get up to follow, Callie shook her head, telling her it was fine.

Laura led them back into the house and up to Tim’s room, where she and Bill were currently staying, and closed the door behind them.  Sitting on the bed, she patted the quilt for Callie to join her. “Don’t look so afraid dear, I just wanted to chat,” Laura told her.

Callie took hesitant steps to the bed, sitting down next to Arizona’s grandmother, turning so she was facing the other woman. “Alright.”

“I’ll admit when Barbara first told me of Arizona’s involvement with you and your daughter I was a bit fearful. You two are so young, I was afraid someone would end up hurt. And I couldn’t bear to see my little girl hurt.” Tim and Arizona weren’t her only grandchildren of course, her daughter had some children as well, but there was always something special about Arizona. She knew it the day she was born. That’s not to say that she didn’t love all her grandchildren equally of course.

“I’d never hurt her intentionally,” Callie insisted.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Laura admitted. “Doesn’t stop me from worrying, though. She’s special.”

“Yes she is,” Callie agreed. She had always thought the same thing. There was something about the dimpled blonde that just drew people in the minute they met her.

“The thing is, I’ve been watching you two since we arrived yesterday. You actually remind me a lot of my husband and I. You truly care about each other. I can see that.”

“More than that, I love Arizona more than I ever thought I could love another person. Only coming in second behind my daughter,” Callie told her honestly.

“Good to hear. And if things don’t work out between you two?” Laura asked.

“I hope that never happens. If it does, I’d never keep Amelia from her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It is.”

“As far as Amelia knows, Arizona is her mother. She’s never really known any differently. I’d never take that from either of them,” Callie vehemently replied. She never wanted anyone to doubt how strongly she felt about Arizona’s place in Amelia’s life.

Laura nodded her head, liking that answer. “Where do you see the two of you heading in the future?”

Callie was beginning to wonder where this interrogation was heading, but she didn’t want Arizona’s family to have doubts about the two of them, so she’d keep answering as truthfully as she could. “I see us going to the same college and med school, one day working at the same hospital. Someday I’m seeing us married with a couple more kids and a house. If I had my way, that would all happen here so we’d have our families close by as well.”

Laura smiled, patting Callie on the knee. “Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” The older woman got up and started rummaging through her purse looking for something. Holding it in her hand, she moved back to the teenager. “Now, I have something for you.”


	42. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Arizona stood in front of the full length mirror, turning this way and that, trying to see how she looked. “What do you think baby?” she asked Amelia who was happily watching her from the floor. “Think I’m going to make mommy’s jaw drop?”

Amelia smiled, nodding her head yes, her new favorite thing to do. “Mommy!” she squealed, looking around the room for the woman in question.

“Mommy is at Grandpa Carlos’ getting ready. She decided it would be fun to get ready separately so this would feel more like a real date.” Arizona’s feelings on the matter came through in that statement. She liked when they got ready to go somewhere together, it felt natural to her, and she knew Callie felt the same way. So she couldn’t fathom why Callie had decided they needed to do it differently today.

Arizona gathered her hair into her hands, trying to decide if she should leave it down or pull it up for tonight. Callie always told her how much she loved her hair down, and loved running her fingers through the soft curls. Pulling it up, however, would probably be better for tonight.

Torn, she wandered over to her bedroom door, popping her head out into the hall. “Mom, can you come up here for a minute. Grandma too,” she added as an afterthought.

“What is it dear?” Laura asked softly as both Robbins women entered the room. “You look beautiful by the way.”

“Thanks,” Arizona smiled. “I can’t decide what to do with my hair. Up would be easier to manage, but Callie likes it down.”

Barbara studied her daughter’s face, trying to come up with some sort of solution. “What if,” she started, moving behind Arizona and gathering some of the blonde locks together. “What if we pull all of it up into a soft twist, but left some of the front down, framing your face?”

“That might work,” Arizona answered, excited. “Will you do it for me?”

“Of course,” Barbara smiled, guiding her daughter to sit down on her desk chair before going into the girl’s bathroom and finding the supplies she needed.

They were only just getting started when Amelia decided she’d had enough of the lack of attention and tried to crawl onto her mama’s lap. “Mama,” she whined, wanting to be picked up.

“Don’t worry, I got her,” Laura assured her granddaughter as she picked Amelia up and sat down on the bed with the baby in her lap. “You just come cuddle with grammy,” she told Amelia, hugging her close. “You’re just the sweetest baby in the world,” she cooed, earning a grin from the other two Robbins.

Amelia still wasn’t sure who these new people were that had invaded her home, but they gave her lots of attention so that was alright with her. Leaning her small head back, she wiggled into Laura’s chest, yawning lightly. “Someone’s getting tired,” Laura commented.

“She’s lasted longer than I thought she would, considering she had a short nap today,” Arizona told them. They’d all had such a busy day, running around and spending time together that Amelia hadn’t been able to get a full nap. She really hoped that meant she’d sleep well tonight, especially since she wasn’t sure when she and Callie would get home.

A little while later, Arizona smiled into the mirror, admiring her mother’s handy work. Callie’s jaw was going to drop for sure.

**~CA~**

Several blocks over Callie had much of the same night. But after she had a talk with her dad about a few things she felt much better. She was grateful her dad had made sure that her mother was out of the house so she could have some peace. Mary, her favorite maid, had volunteered to help get her ready as well.

She knew Arizona didn’t understand why she wanted to do it this way, but she had some surprises in store for the blonde. She had high hopes for tonight and had been praying that everything would work out just right. She wanted tonight to be perfect.

A small knock on her old bedroom door alerted her of her father’s presence. “You look gorgeous, mija. Arizona is going to faint when she sees you,” Carlos tells her. While he never expected his child to end up with another woman, he couldn’t have picked a more perfect partner for his daughter. Arizona made Callie and Amelia very happy. “Are you sure about tonight?”

Callie nodded her head, careful not to mess up her hair. “Very sure. I’m nervous, but sure.”

“Well then I’m happy for you, sweetheart,” he told her honestly. His baby girl was going to prom with her girlfriend, and he’s still trying to figure out when she grew up. All of a sudden he saw the adult his daughter had become and not the little girl he once knew. “I’m so sorry it took me all these years to pull my head out of my ass and see what I was missing.”

Callie frowns slightly as she moves to hug her father. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you did. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to finally have a real dad. Although now you have to share me with Daniel,” she teased.

“That’s alright, just as long as he knows he has to share Arizona with me,” he smiled. He knew Callie already referred to the Robbins’ as mom and dad. He was hoping Arizona would soon start calling him dad.

“I’m sure he’d be more than okay with that,” Callie told him. Looking at the clock she realized she was running out of time. “Shoot, I have to leave soon if I want to pick Arizona up on time.”

“Go, go, go,” Carlos shooed. “We’ll have time to talk later. Go have fun with your girl.”

“Thank you, I will. I love you, dad.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

**~CA~**

The doorbell rang, startling Arizona, who was halfway down the stairs, knowing Callie would be there any minute. Apparently her girlfriend was taking this whole thing seriously and opted not to just come in.

“Go back upstairs,” her mother told her, shoeing her with her hands. “Let her see you come down,” Barbara said with a mischievous smile.

“Alright, I’m going,” Arizona told her, rolling her eyes at her mother. She just wanted to see her girlfriend, she didn’t care about anything else.

She could hear muffled sounds, but couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. She was sure both her mother and grandmother were ‘oohing’ and ‘awing’ over Callie though. After an eternity she finally heard them call her down.

Waiting at the top of the staircase definitely had its rewards, Arizona thought to herself. Each step she took downward drew another gulp from her girlfriend. Callie was definitely drooling, but she wasn’t the only one. Arizona wanted to pull the other girl up the stairs and into their bedroom. The only clear thought in her mind was ripping the deep purple dress off of Callie’s delicious body.

“You look amazing,” Callie finally managed to get out. Hesitantly she reached out, running a hand along Arizona’s side and feeling the silkiness of the turquoise dress the blonde had chosen. She wanted to kiss Arizona so badly, but knew if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stop at just a kiss.

“Come on you two, stand together so we can get a picture,” Barbara ordered, pointing her camera at them.

Callie moved to Arizona’s side, wrapping her arm around Arizona’s back. Immediately Arizona leaned into her, putting them even closer together. “You’re so beautiful,” Callie whispered into Arizona’s ear. Neither noticed as Barbara snapped another picture.

“So are you,” Arizona moaned back, turning her head so they were looking at each other. “I really want to kiss you right now, but I’m not sure it would be enough.”

“Mmm, me either,” Callie agreed, placing a kiss on Arizona’s forehead instead. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too.”

“Ooh, we need to get one of Amelia with her mommies,” Laura exclaimed, interrupting their little moment.

“But we don’t want her to wrinkle their dresses,” Barbara thought aloud. Silently she agreed with her mother-in-law though. Amelia shouldn’t be left out.

“It’s alright,” Callie told them. “Grandma’s right. We’ll probably be telling her all about tonight someday. It’s only right she have pictures. A little wrinkle never hurt anybody.”

“Callie’s right,” Arizona agreed, taking the baby in question from her grandmother. Several photos later, including one with both girls kissing Amelia’s cheeks at the same time, they finally called an end to what Arizona was calling their photoshoot.

Saying their goodnights, the two girls headed outside where Arizona’s jaw dropped again. She shouldn’t have been surprised, knowing how her girlfriend was, but she was not expecting the white stretch limo to be sitting at her curb. The driver stood by the backdoor, patiently waiting for them. “You are too much, Calliope.”

“This is our night, we deserve it,” was all she got from Callie.

Countless other limos surrounded the hotel where the dance was being held, as well as some other vehicles of students who didn’t, or couldn’t afford to get a limo. Heading into the large ballroom, Callie handed their tickets to the person at the door before leading them over to a table where Mark and Lexie were sitting.

“You two came together huh?” Callie teased. She was pretty sure something was going on between their friends, but neither had come out and admitted it yet. The two just smiled and nodded, not giving away any more than that. Turning to Arizona, she smiled to see her girlfriend take in their environment. “Do you want to go get in line to get our pictures done first? That way we can just enjoy the rest of the night.”

“That sounds fine,” Arizona said. “Did you two already do yours?” she asked Mark and Lexie. When the two shook their heads both girls pulled them along with so they could get a group shot as well.

After the pictures were taken, Callie pulled Arizona out on the dance floor. Arizona insisted she wasn’t very good at dancing, but that didn’t faze Callie in the least. The first set of songs were all fast ones anyway, so Callie encouraged Arizona to just do whatever felt natural and have fun. They could both feel some eyes on them, but chose to ignore them. It was no secret the two were a couple, they weren’t about to pretend they weren’t.

When a slow song finally filled the room, Callie secretly cheered, glad to finally have an excuse to pull Arizona close. They swayed together, with their bodies touching in every possible place, and reveled in the feeling of being together. Time seemed to stop as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes, before finally closing the gap and sharing the kiss they’d been wanting all night.

“Awe so sweet lezzy Callie and her bitch getting all cozy.” Izzie stumbled towards them, clearly drunk. She couldn’t handle any more of their little love fest.

Before either girl could come up with a response, Mark stepped in front of the girls. “Leave them alone, Izzie,” he ordered. He’d stayed silent long enough when it came to Izzie’s attacks, not just on his friends, but others in the school as well. It was time somebody put her in her place.

“What are you? Their big strong protector? You two used to rule this school and now look at you. You’re nobodies,” Izzie spat at Callie and Mark. Callie walking away from their group was bad enough, but then Mark ditched out too.

“They aren’t nobodies,” Arizona argued, stepping around Mark.

“Look at that, the pet can talk.”

“Izzie, you’re drunk and out of line,” Lexie said, standing beside Arizona. “Go take a walk or something, sober up and leave these two alone,” she suggested.

Izzie glared at Lexie, knowing she was losing this fight, but she couldn’t stop. Being drunk gave her the freedom to forget why she was really upset. Callie had always been an easy target, tonight was no exception. “Speaking of nobodies,” she sneered at Lexie. “Anybody else want to join this little group of misfits?” she asked, looking around the room.

Several of the cheerleaders stared at Izzie, trying to figure out what to do. They all knew that Izzie was in the wrong here. There was no reason for her sudden attack on Callie and Arizona. Their captain had all but forgotten about her little vendetta until tonight. One by one, they all moved to stand beside the couple, showing their support.

“Oh so it’s like that is it? You all are nothing without me!” she yelled.

“Izzie, take Lexie’s suggestion and just walk away,” Jamie, one of the other cheerleaders told her.

“Like hell I will. None of you understand. You can’t possibly understand. This is all her fault!” she pointed at Callie.

“What’s my fault?” Callie asked. Izzie wasn’t making any sense.

“Everything, nothing. It doesn’t matter anymore does it? You’re still the golden girl and I’m still just second best.”

“You’re jealous,” Callie stated, realization dawning.

“Yeah, right. Liked I’d ever be jealous of you.”

“You are. You’re jealous that I can walk away from you and still have friends. Jealous that I’ve found the love of my life. And afraid for what it all means for you. In a few weeks we’ll all graduate and the real won’t be so kind to a bitch like you.” Callie’s words were sincere in the beginning, but anger slowly took over and she wanted to hit back, if only a little.

“You’re the bitch,” Izzie fired back, bring a hand back to slap Callie. Before she could make contact her arm was twisted behind her back, held there by Mark.

 “Miss Stevens, I think it’s time you left,” Mrs. Montgomery told the teenager, having watched the whole exchange. She hadn’t wanted to interfere, knowing sometimes teenagers needed to work things out themselves, but stepped in when Izzie decided to turn it physical.

“You can’t kick me out,” Izzie argued. “I’m in the running for Prom Queen.”

“Ah that’s where you are wrong. Not only can I kick you out, but I can suspend you for violence during a school sponsored event, not to mention being intoxicated. Now either you can walk out that door like a big girl, or I can have you escorted. Your choice,” the vice principle told her.

“I hate you all,” Izzie yelled as she marched out of the room. Mrs. Montgomery followed closely behind to make sure she did in fact leave.

“Thank you, Mark,” Callie told her friend, glad to have him around. Turning a smile and a silent ‘thank you’ to all the others that had stood behind them.

“Told ya, kid. I got your back now,” Mark smiled.

Once Izzie was gone everyone around them began to relax and really enjoy the night. Shortly after, the senior class president, Katie, climbed on stage to announce the king and queen. Mark and Lexie seemed to be the only ones shocked when their names were called. Neither even knew they were in the running, and had apparently been written in.

After their crowning, the round of other votes began. The guy who one class clown was no surprise, he pulled more pranks than anyone around. “Next up, we have a new award to give out tonight. So for the first time ever, we’d like to present the award for ‘Most Inspirational Couple,’ to Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins,” Katie announced.

Callie and Arizona both turned to look at each other, shock on their faces. “Come on up here you two,” Katie beckoned them. Behind her a picture appeared on the screen with the two girls and Amelia. “Most of us have known Callie since we were in kindergarten. She mostly sat quietly with her studies, but we all knew who she was. Arizona only joined this school this year, but even though they didn’t know it, we could see the relationship developing between the two. It was amazingly sweet,” she paused as murmurs of agreement filled the room.

“There had been a few rumors the previous year when Callie left our school for awhile, but she came back and acted like everything was normal so we all did the same and quickly forgot about it. So we were all shocked when we found out she had baby. It suddenly made sense to us why the two of them would run home every day. I mean look at that little girl,” Katie said, pointing to the picture behind her. “Since then we’ve seen the three of them together around town, watching their little family from afar. You’re not only an inspirational couple to us, you make a very cute family,” Katie finished.

 “Um, I guess thank you,” Arizona said hesitantly into the microphone. Her brain was still trying to process what was going on. “I’ve been invisible in over a dozen schools in my life. This was the first place that felt like home. So thank you.”

Callie stood there torn on what to do, what to say. She had a whole plan for tonight. She’d thought about it time and again exactly how she wanted things to go tonight. But standing here now, in front of all their classmates, a new idea was forming. It was something so unlike her, but it felt more right than ever before. These people believed in them, they supported them. Something she never thought would happen when she discovered she was pregnant. Maybe it was time she started putting a little bit of faith back in them.

Assuming her girlfriend wasn’t going to say anything Arizona began to walk off, but Callie grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “I do have something to say actually. But first, Mark, can you hand me my purse?” she asked, finding her friend in the crowd. As soon as her purse was in her free hand, she turned to Arizona. “I had big plans for us tonight. One of which was to do this privately in our hotel room that I was going to surprise you with. So surprise,” she smiled, earning a laugh from everyone.

“Arizona Robbins, you intrigued me from the first day I met you. I knew we were meant to be in each other’s lives. You not only let me into your heart, but my daughter as well, our daughter,” she amended. “I love you with all of my heart. So right here in front of all these people who believe in us, I have a question to ask.” Letting go of Arizona’s hand, she reached into her purse to find what she was looking for before falling awkwardly to one knee. “Will you marry me?”


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

_“Will you marry me?”_

The words kept swirling around in Arizona’s head, trying to help her figure out if it was real or just her imagination. Callie was asking to marry her? Surely she’d fallen asleep and this was just an amazing dream. Because she couldn’t imagine the girl she loved, who _hated_ public speaking, would ask her that question in front of all their peers.

Arizona let her eyes wander around the room, seeing everyone’s eyes on her. They were all anticipating her answer it seemed. Moving back to Callie, she looked into her girlfriend’s eyes and knew this was very real. “Yes, Callie, very much yes. I’d love to marry you,” she answered with the biggest smile Callie had ever seen.

Callie slid the ring on Arizona’s hand, excited to see it was a perfect fit. She took that as a sign that this was meant to be. Not that there was any doubt, but it only solidified the idea that she was meant to spend the rest of her life with Arizona. She let her fiancé pull her back onto her feet so they could share a very passionate kiss.

“How soon can we get out of here?” Arizona whispered once they pulled apart. She wanted to celebrate with Callie, alone, and preferably naked.

“What? You don’t want to stay for the rest of the dance?” Callie asked in fake shock. She wanted nothing more than to run out of this room with Arizona on her heels.

Arizona just smiled, pulling Callie back off the stage, no longer wanting an audience. As soon as they were away from watching eyes, Arizona backed Callie up against a wall, kissing her deeply, hands running along Callie’s body. “We could stay if you really want to. But I’ll make it worth your while to leave,” Arizona promised, lightly caressing the other girl’s breast.

“Mmm,” Callie moaned. “I’ll hold you to that,” she panted, pulling off the wall to kiss Arizona again.

“Now about this hotel room…” Arizona inquired as they pulled apart once more.

“I got us a honeymoon suite, on the top floor,” Callie told her between breaths. They hadn’t really done anything yet and already Callie was worked up almost more than she could stand.

Arizona raised an eyebrow at Callie. “Had high hopes for tonight, did ya?” she teased.

“With you, always,” Callie admitted. She never knew she could crave another human being the way she craved Arizona. The moment she first laid eyes on the blonde she was drawn to her. Now she couldn’t imagine her life without Arizona in it. Arizona saying yes to her proposal made her heart soar. The three of them were going to be a family in every way possible.

“Do we need to check in or anything?” Arizona asked as they began moving towards the doors of the ballroom.

“Nope already did that,” Callie answered, pulling the key out of her purse and dangling it in front of Arizona.

Smiling, Arizona snatched it out of her hand, and grabbed Callie’s hand in her free one, practically sprinting through the building towards the elevator. Once the doors were closed and the button for their floor was pushed, Arizona had Callie backed against the metal wall, kissing her again.

“Eager are we,” Callie teased.

“You got that right, sister.”

“If I was your sister, this would be wrong on so many levels,” Callie joked, pulling Arizona to her.

The younger girl groaned, not finding her lover’s joke the least bit funny. “That’s not even funny.” She wanted Callie in the worst way right now and the elevator was still climbing.

“It was a little bit funny,” Callie argued, kissing Arizona on the cheek just as the elevator came to a halt. “We’re in room 1530, aren’t we?” Callie asked, trying to remember.

Arizona looked at the number on the keychain. “Yep, that’s the one.” The two girls looked around for a sign of which way to go, finally finding a sign that pointed them towards the honeymoon suites. “I can’t wait to go on a real honeymoon with you,” Arizona said on their short walk towards their room.

“Me either,” Callie agreed. There was so much to think about before they got to that point, but she couldn’t wait to get started. Tonight, however, was just about them and celebrating the decision they’d made earlier.

Nothing could prepare Arizona for the surprise that greeted her when they opened the door. Inside were several bouquets of roses placed around the room, as well as rose petals leading a trail to the bed, and on top of the comforter. Candles were placed in various places around the room, lighting the room in a soft glow. Callie wasn’t kidding when she said she had a whole plan for that night.

“Callie, this is amazing,” she told her girlfriend, pulling her close and placing a soft kiss on her lips. “How did you manage all this?”

“Well I didn’t do the set up, the hotel did, but it was my idea. I just wanted it to be special. I guess I kind of blew that earlier.”

“No you didn’t,” Arizona argued. “You could have asked me in McDonald’s, or some dirty bar bathroom, and it still would have been amazing. You know why?” Callie shook her head. “Because it came from you, it came from your heart. That’s all that matters.”

“I love you, Arizona Robbins,” Callie smiled.

“I love you, too, Calliope Torres.”

A thought suddenly popped into Callie’s head, but she pushed it away. That was a conversation for another day. Today all Callie wanted to do was make love to her fiancé.

**~CA~**

Several hours later, Arizona laid in bed, hand held above her head while she studied the ring now on her finger. Something seemed oddly familiar about the piece. It only took a minute for it to dawn on her. Pushing on Callie’s shoulder softly, she woke the other girl up.

“You can’t tell me you’re ready for more already,” Callie said, still half asleep.

“I’ll always want more,” Arizona told her honestly. “No, I was just looking at this ring. It seems familiar to me. It looks like…” she trailed off, thinking it was dumb to even mention it.

“Your great-grandmother’s ring,” Callie filled in, suddenly more awake. Arizona nodded her head. “That’s because it is.”

“What? How?” Arizona gasped, staring again at the ring she used to twirl around her great grandmother’s finger as she sat on her lap. The other woman had died when Arizona was only ten years old and she missed her terribly.

“Your grandmother gave it to me,” Callie told her. “She told me about how you used to play with it on your great-grandma’s hand when you were younger, always asking if you could try it on. When she died, your grandmother decided to keep it safe until you were older.”

“Wow, I had no idea grandma even had it. I always figured it got buried with Grams,” Arizona told Callie, using her old nickname for her great-grandmother.

“When she realized how serious our relationship was, she decided to give me the ring instead. Knowing how much it would mean to you to wear it as your own engagement ring,” Callie finished the rest of the story Laura had relayed to her a few nights ago.

“She was right. This means a lot. Not that I wouldn’t love any ring you picked out,” Arizona quickly reassured. Callie nodded her head, telling Arizona she understood. “But I have to ask, is this the reason you proposed?” A little doubt creeping into her voice. She didn’t want Callie to feel like she was pressured into making such a huge step now.

“No,” Callie quickly answered. “I had already been thinking about it, I just hadn’t made any definite plans, or thought about rings yet. As soon as I saw this ring though I knew why I hadn’t. Once Laura handed it to me, the rest fell into place.”

“Oh, okay,” Arizona responded, feeling better about the whole thing. She knew Callie loved her as much as she loved Callie. There was no question about that. She just wanted to be sure that they were moving at a pace that was comfortable for both of them. “Did she tell you the story behind this ring?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Not really,” Callie shrugged.

“My great-grandfather, the original Daniel, came from a very poor family. He decided to join the military not only to serve his country, but to help his family out financially. He barely kept any money for himself, so when he fell in love with Grams, he couldn’t decide what to do. Keep some of the money he was sending to his family, or propose without a ring. In the end, he proposed without a ring, but promised he’d make it up to her one day,” Arizona paused, gathering her thoughts for the rest of the story.

Callie was fully intrigued now, wanting to know more. Wrapping her arms around Arizona, she laid her head on the other girl’s chest, waiting for her to continue.

Arizona laid a hand on Callie’s head, running her fingers through the raven locks. “They were married fairly quickly, which was kind of the norm back then. They lived happily in a small house on base and Gramps was promoted about a year later and could finally start saving for that ring he promised. He finally purchased it a week before being told he was being sent to be stationed in Pearl Harbor. He gave her the ring just before he left.”

“She didn’t go with him?” Callie asked, breaking into the story.

“She was planning too, she’d joined up as a nurse so she could follow him there. But the day before she was set to leave, was the day the Japanese attacked. She never got to tell him she was pregnant with my grandpa, and she never took this ring off,” Arizona finished, looking again at the ring on her finger.

“Wow. That’s really sad,” Callie told her, placing a kiss on Arizona’s stomach.

“Grams was never the same after he died. Part of her blamed herself. ‘If only I had told him, maybe things would have been different’,” Arizona quoted her great grandmother. A part of her had always wondered if he still would have risked his own life to save others had she told him she was pregnant. They all knew he would have though, that’s just the kind of man he was. “She never took it off, that’s why I don’t understand why she wasn’t buried with it,” Arizona finally voiced the thought rolling in her head.

“She left it to you in her Will. She told your grandmother to make sure you got it someday.”

Blue eyes teared up. “She did?”

“She wanted you to have it,” Callie told her. “Maybe she knew that someday you’d treat it the same way she did.” Callie already knew if something ever happened to them, god forbid, that Arizona would never take it off. She was hoping there never came a time when Arizona had to even think about doing it. She wanted them to last forever.

“I just can’t believe it,” Arizona muttered, still trying to process what Callie had told her. She didn’t think anybody knew how much she loved the story of Grams and Gramps, and how much she loved the ring because of it. Apparently they all did though.

Arizona felt the change in Callie’s breathing, knowing the other girl had fallen back asleep. She yawned, trying to make her own mind shut down long enough to follow. It wasn’t long before she snuggled deeper into bed, letting her eyes close.

**~CA~**

The next morning, Arizona woke up slowly, trying to figure out why the bed felt so unfamiliar, but so comfortable as well. As she processed the extra weight on her finger, she suddenly remembered the night before.

She was engaged, to Callie. The grin on her face couldn’t be removed, as she looked down at the other girl and then at the ring once again. They were going to get married, soon she hoped. She wanted to be Callie’s wife as much as she wanted to be Amelia’s mother. Nothing could make her happier.

“Wake up, fiancé,” she whispered in Callie’s ear, kissing her softly. “Come on, pretty girl,” she tried again, climbing on top of the other girl.

Callie felt the weight on top of her body, but didn’t react, planning to enjoy whatever Arizona did next to ‘wake her up.’ Light kisses ran along her face and down her neck. She couldn’t stop the moan from coming out as Arizona took her breast into her mouth. “More please,” Callie pleaded as Arizona ran her tongue around her nipple.

“Ah so you are awake. Good. We have just enough time to enjoy a shower together before we have to check out,” Arizona told her, jumping off the bed and running towards the bathroom.

“You little tease,” Callie called after her, but followed the other girl into the bathroom.

When they finally made it home they were surprised to find the house void of any signs of life. Heading through the glass doors, they found all the grandparents sitting around the patio table while Amelia played in her playhouse.

Barbara was the first to notice the couple as the quietly moved to the group. “Did you two have fun last night?”

“We did,” Arizona answered for the both of them. “It was questionable there for a minute, but nothing that could ruin our night.” Neither of them were sure what was up with Izzie’s sudden attack, but it was over and done with so they thought it best just to move on.

“We won an award for ‘Most Inspirational Couple.’ Unexpected, but appreciated,” Callie jumped in.

“Very unexpected,” Arizona agreed. “Considering we don’t socialize much outside our little circle. Apparently we’re not as invisible as we thought we were.”

“Definitely not.” Callie then began telling them all about the dance and how much fun they’d had. Arizona just listened, watching Callie as she spoke. Without realizing it, she’d started drumming her fingers on the table.

“What is that?” Barbara suddenly asked, noticing something on her daughter’s finger.

Arizona stopped her movement. “What is what?” Following her mother’s line of sight, she realized the hand on the table was the same one that now held her ring. They hadn’t talked about telling anyone yet, but the cat was out of the bag now it seemed. “Oh, Callie and I got engaged last night.”

Barbara looked at Callie, silently asking her it was true. Callie smiled, and took Arizona’s hand in her own. “It’s true. I asked Arizona to marry me and she agreed.” Both girls waited anxiously for some response. They knew the group here had no problem with their relationship, but that didn’t mean they’d be okay with them getting engaged so young.

“My girls are getting married?” Barbara smiled. “Oh my goodness. We’re going to have a wedding!” Her joy was apparent to everyone. Turning to her mother-in-law, “we have so much to plan.” Then back to the girls, “When?”

“Slow down, Mom. Geez,” Arizona told her. “We just got engaged last night. Let us have a minute to celebrate first.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Barbara conceded. “But if you have a summer wedding we could do it right here if you want. This backyard is plenty big enough. Unless you want something bigger?”

“No, small is good,” Callie answered for them. “Just close family and friends.” Her answer revealed how much thought she had given this. “Maybe a larger reception though,” she added as an afterthought. “Seems we have more people accepting of our relationship than we previously thought.”

“What if we had it this summer, before we start college?” Arizona asked suddenly.

“This summer? As in, well now?” Callie asks, surprised. “I mean we’re just about to May, so it would pretty much be now.”

“I know, I know,” Arizona agreed. “I thought maybe it would be nice to start college as a family, especially if Amelia’s adoption goes through by then.”

“A marriage would help with the adoption,” Barbara pointed out. “Not that I’m saying that’s why you should do it, but it’s one bonus.”

“True,” Callie said, letting the thought roll around in her mind.

“It’ll be much harder to plan a wedding once we start college,” Arizona pointed out.

Callie nodded her head. “Also true.” She knew she wanted to marry Arizona, and sooner rather than later would be nice. Who knew when they’d have the time again once they started school and later med school. “I’m thinking we’re getting married this summer,” she announced.

Arizona squealed with excitement, kissing Callie on the cheek and then jumping up and running over to Amelia. Picking the little girl up, she swung her around, landing her on her side, and danced around the yard. “Your mommies are getting married,” she told Amelia. She turned a look back at Callie, who was walking over to them. “We’re getting married.”

“We’re getting married.”


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

“First thing you two need to do is pick a date,” Barbara told the girls, wanting to jump right into planning the wedding.  She’d left them alone for most of the day, but now that they were all sitting down for dinner she couldn’t contain herself. Most mothers would probably be concerned about their child getting married at such a young age, but she wasn’t most mothers. Callie and Arizona weren’t most young couples either.

Arizona looked to Callie to see if she had any suggestions to throw in. The other girl just shrugged her shoulders. “Well I think anything in June should be out, so maybe sometime in July,” Arizona suggested.

“Why not June?” Callie asked curiously. Although further away would give them more time to plan. She just wondered why Arizona dismissed it so easily.

“Because your birthday is end of June,” Arizona answered as if it should be obvious. “I just figured it would be better if we didn’t have two huge events to celebrate in the same month,” she smiled, she’d make the whole year about Callie if she could.

Callie almost argued, not thinking her birthday is a big deal, but she knew better. She knew Arizona was going to make a big deal about her birthday regardless. “What if the adoption goes through in June?” she asked instead, knowing that was something they’d also celebrate the anniversary of every year, even if only on a smaller scale.

“We can’t control that, we can control this,” Arizona pointed out.

“Alright, so July then?” Barbara asked, trying to get the topic back on track. Looking back and forth between the girls, she got a smile and a nod from each.

“Maybe the first or second weekend in July. That should give us almost two months to plan, which should be plenty of time, even with finals coming up,” Arizona thought aloud.

“Yes, it should be plenty of time,” Laura piped in. “You just have to make all the decisions, and your mom and I will do all the work,” she told them, getting a nod of agreement from Barbara. She and her husband were going to be staying here until the girls’ graduation anyway, might as well make herself useful.

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Callie argued.

“Nonsense,” Laura dismissed. “That’s what the older generation is for. We’ve already been through a wedding or two. Besides, you two have enough on your hands with finishing up school.”

“But…”

“No buts, Callie,” Barbara interrupted quickly.

As soon as the men were done eating, they cleaned up Amelia and took her into the other room where she could play for a little while longer, leaving the women deep in discussion at the kitchen table. They decided to look for other outdoor venues, and to use the backyard only as backup plan. Not that their yard wasn’t beautiful, Callie and Arizona just liked the idea of being able to walk away at the end of the night and leave the cleanup to someone else.

“Crap, we need to get Amelia ready for bed,” Callie suddenly announced, more than an hour later. She hadn’t realized it had was so late until she saw the clock out of the corner of her eye.

“Alright, we can pick up this conversation tomorrow,” Barbara told them, kissing both girls goodnight. She knew as soon as they put Amelia down, they’d disappear into their own room. She didn’t fault them for wanting to spend some time together, just the two of them.

“Goodnight, Mom,” Arizona waved, heading toward the living room to rescue her daughter from the grandpas.  Rescue seemed to be the right word when she found the little girl sitting between the two men, half asleep. Both were trying to explain the basketball game to her, neither noticing she didn’t have any idea what they were saying. “Alright grandpas, say goodnight to the munchkin, she’s headed for bed,” Arizona told them, lifting the toddler into her arms.

“Night, sweetheart,” Daniel told her, placing a kiss on her cheek, and then one on Arizona’s as well. “Night, Callie,” he called toward the girl standing in the doorway.

“Night, Dad,” Callie smiled, leaving the room with her two girls.

**~CA~**

Arizona couldn’t help the moan that slipped from her lips as talented fingers worked their way through her blonde locks. She never knew having someone was her hair could be so arousing. Then again nobody else was Callie Torres. “Never stop doing that, I mean it,” she told the other girl.

Callie smiled. She loved the feeling it gave her to take care of her fiancé. “Well I’d be more than happy to do it for as long as you want, but soon the water is going to turn cold and we’ll turn into fish,” Callie laughed.

“But it feels so good,” Arizona whined, tilting her head back so Callie could rinse the shampoo out. After all the suds were gone, Arizona leaned back into Callie and rested her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. Arms wrapped around her and held her close.

“You’re so cute when you whine,” Callie told her, placing a kiss on the other girl’s wet forehead. “And I enjoy our baths together as much as you do,” she whispered, running her hands along the body in front of her.

“Mmm,” Arizona moaned as Callie began playing with her breasts. “I know, but your right. We’ve probably already been in here longer than we should be.”

“Why don’t we continue this in our very comfy bed then?” Callie suggested, cupping Arizona’s cheek and turning her face so she could place a deep kiss on her lips.

“Definitely,” Arizona agreed when they finally pulled apart. Lifting herself out of the tub first, she wrapped her towel around herself while Callie pulled the plug out. Holding the other girl’s towel open for her, she waited for Callie to step inside and helped her wrap up.

“We should probably dry our hair first or we’ll be paying for it in the morning,” Callie said sadly. She wanted to head straight into their room and finish what they’d started in the tub, but the rational part of her told her it needed to wait just a little bit longer.

“I’ll dry yours, you dry mine?” Arizona smirked, knowing they could easily turn the chore into more foreplay. They’d done it before.

“My thoughts exactly.”

They didn’t waste any time, as soon as the blow dryer was turned off and unplugged, they were racing into the other room. Never had Arizona felt so grateful to have a connecting bathroom. Pouncing on the bed, she flipped onto her back, waiting for Callie to join her. Their lips were soon fused with passion as their towels were thrown to the floor.

“Did you lock the door when we came in?” Callie asked between kisses. Not that anybody came into their room without knocking and waiting for an invitation. It just made them both feel better to know there was an extra barrier.

“I think so,” Arizona murmured, tilting her head enough to see. “Maybe not,” she groaned, pushing Callie off of her so she could get up. Locking the door, she turned to find Callie’s eyes studying her closely. “Like what you see?” she teased.

“You know what’s better than having you as my fiancé?” Callie grinned. Arizona shook her head. Pulling the blonde back down on the bed, she rolled on top of her. “Having you as my naked fiancé.”

“Naked wife will be ten times better,” Arizona exclaimed, already looking forward to the day. “In fact, I think on our honeymoon we should just stay in some hotel room and make a rule that no clothes are allowed.”

“Whatever you want my dear,” Callie told her, kissing her nose, chin, and then finally her lips.

“Don’t you forget it!”

**~CA~**

“Do you think we need to worry about Izzie?” Arizona asked the next morning as they got ready for school.

“I’m not sure,” Callie answered honestly. “I really don’t know what her deal was the other night, but she was really drunk. She might not even know.”

Arizona sighed, knowing Callie was right. The other girl clearly hadn’t been in her right mind when she attacked them. Arizona could see the look on Callie’s face and in her eyes, she was worried about Izzie. They had been friends once. And that night she wasn’t ‘let’s have fun drunk,’ she was ‘drink away my pain’ drunk.

“We’ll just have to see how she is today,” Arizona told her, knowing there wasn’t anything else they could do.

The first thing that surprised them when they got to school was all of the smiles turned in their direction. Many students stepped up to them and wished them congratulations on their engagement. Some of them they hadn’t even met before. Arizona spent a good amount of time with her hand in the air so that people could see the ring. The look of love toward Callie never left her face. Even Mrs. Montgomery congratulated and wished them both the best of luck.

The second thing that surprised them was the gossip flying around. Apparently nobody had seen the head cheerleader after the dance or heard from her all weekend and she wasn’t at school that day. Speculation began flying around the school, but nobody really knew for sure.

When lunch time rolled around and still nobody knew anything, the worry in Callie grew. After everything Izzie had put her through she should have been able to just forget the other girl, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t that kind of person. She couldn’t just forget about the girl who used to be her best friend.

Picking up her cell phone, she found the number she never deleted and hit the call button. The phone went straight to voicemail. Resigned to leaving a message, “Hey Izzie, its Callie. I know we’re really not friends anymore, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I hope to talk to you later,” she ended sadly.

Arizona, who had watched the whole thing, scooted closer to Callie and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sure she’ll call you back,” she tried to reassure. Callie leaned into her girlfriend and tucked her head in to the other girl’s neck.

Mark found them a few minutes later and sat down beside them on the floor. “I just saw Izzie’s mom leaving the school. Apparently she won’t be back for the rest of the year.”

Callie lifted her head up, “What? Why?”

“She wouldn’t say,” Mark shrugged. “Just said she wouldn’t be back.”

“I wonder why,” Callie thought aloud.

“Rumor has it, she’s in rehab,” he told them, taking a bite out of the roll Callie hadn’t touched yet. Callie didn’t even seem to notice.

“Yeah I heard that one too,” Arizona announced. “I also heard she was moving to a relative’s and another she was joining the circus. Who knows what to believe?”

“True enough,” Mark agreed.

“Where’s Lexie?” Arizona asked, wanting to change the subject.

Mark tilted his head to point down the hallway. “She had to stay after class to talk with her teacher about something.”

“What are you two going to do after graduation? She’s only a junior isn’t she?”

“I got accepted to University of Washington so I’m going there for now,” Mark answered. Their relationship was still new, but he wanted to see where it was going. He wasn’t ready to give up on them just yet.

“Really? So are we,” Callie jumped into the conversation, glad to have something else to focus on. “At least to get our generals out of the way. We’re not ready to put Amelia in day care and this way she can keep her routine and stay with her grandma.”

Or that was the plan. Arizona had been holding on to the worry that her parents would have to move again before too long. They had been moving around her whole life so there was nothing to suggest that was going to change. Although this time if they had to move again, they would be going alone. Callie and Amelia were her home now. Wherever they were, was where she’d be.

Shaking off her train of thoughts, Arizona turned back to the conversation at hand. “When she’s a little older we’ll be more comfortable with her going to preschool. Then it’ll be easier to rethink child care while we’re in school.”

“She’s just so little right now,” Callie said. Her daughter’s health was always a pressing worry on her mind. Although not as much as it had been before when she was just a baby. Now at 12 months old she was doing extremely well and was very active.

“I could understand that,” Mark agreed. He hadn’t had much interaction with Amelia, but he could understand where they were coming from. When he was around her she seemed so tiny, so vulnerable to the rest of the world. “Well at least I’ll have some friends in school. Don’t suppose you two would be staying on campus though.”

“Sorry, nope,” Arizona answered for them. “Not really sure what our plans are as far as housing yet. Although I keep suggesting our own place,” she said pointedly at Callie.

“Hey, I’m not against it,” Callie raised her hands in surrender. “I just don’t see the point when we’ll be running back and forth to your parent’s place anyway.”

“The point is, I’d like to spend time with my _wife_ without worrying my parents will hear us,” Arizona argued again for probably the twentieth time since she’d first brought up the subject of them getting their own place.

“Well I could spend more time with _my wife_ if we weren’t having to drive all over town,” Callie made the same argument back. She understood Arizona’s point of view, she really did, and a part of her agreed with the other girl. At the same time, she loved where they lived now, it had become home to her. It was where they fell in love.

Mark had been watching the exchange between the girls with a smile on his face. That is until he heard the word ‘wife.’ Of course he’d seen the proposal like everyone else. Even waited, hoping Arizona would say yes. But it was shocking to realize his two best friends were getting married.

“You two are getting married,” he spoke as if the thought had just occurred to him.

Arizona gave him a ‘duh’ look. “Yep, this summer in fact.”

“Oh and you’re my best man,” Callie threw in, loving the look on her friend’s face.

“Me?”

“Yeah you. Who else would I ask?” Callie asked rhetorically. One of the decisions they made the night before was that Mark would be Callie’s best man, and Tim would be Arizona’s best man. It wouldn’t be the most conventional of weddings, but then that seemed to be what worked for them. Amelia of course would be flower girl, and possibly ring bearer if they couldn’t come up with any other ideas. Maybe they’d have Lexie walk with her to help her out.

“We both have family that we’ll be inviting, but nobody we’re close enough to have in the wedding party,” Arizona informed Mark.

“Well I’m honored, even if I’m the only choice,” he joked.

“You’ve been a good friend to us. Believe me, you’ve earned the title,” Callie told him.

“I can’t wait to get married,” Arizona said excitedly. If only they could get through graduation so they could focus on the wedding. She was so looking forward to being Callie’s wife.

“Me either,” Callie agreed. It was going to be a slow couple of months for both of them.


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

The next few weeks flew by in a flurry of activity. Between planning the wedding, preparing for finals, and their duties as mothers, Callie and Arizona barely had a moment to just stop and breathe. Neither girl was complaining, however. They both knew it was only temporary and soon everything would settle down, at least until they started college.

After having Arizona’s grandparents around for a week, Callie didn’t know why she had been so nervous. Both Bill and Laura had made her feel like family, treating her no differently than they did Arizona. They both also had a tendency to spoil Amelia rotten.

Bill had quickly become Amelia’s new favorite person. No matter how much fun she was having with her toys, if he got up to leave the room she was following right behind him. More than once someone had to distract her so he could use the bathroom. He never seemed to find her clinginess annoying either, instead showering her with smiles and kisses whenever he picked her up, calling her “grampy’s baby.”

When the elder Robbins did leave it was going to be hard on all of them, especially Amelia. They had decided to leave a few days after graduation, which was in a couple of days, but come back a week before the wedding to help with the final preparations. Arizona could already tell there would be plenty of phone calls during that in-between time.

There had still been no word on Izzie since the night of prom. Callie had tried a few more times to connect with her old friend, but all of her attempts had gone unanswered. Her mother hadn’t taken any calls from anyone either. A few of the cheerleaders that were closest to their captain opened up about how much the other girl had been drinking lately, solidifying the rumor that she may have been sent to rehab.

Arizona groaned as she entered the house, dropping her backpack on the floor, and moving to place a kiss on Amelia’s cheek. The little girl was currently in her highchair snacking on Gerber yogurt melts. “Mm, strawberry, your favorite,” she smiled at her daughter. Amelia held her hand out with one in her palm, offering it to her mama. “You are the best sharer in the world,” she told her, opening her mouth so the little girl could drop it in.

Callie watched the whole exchange with a grin, before picking up Arizona’s backpack and sitting it on her shoulder next to her own. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered in Arizona’s ear, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Let me just get these upstairs,” she whispered, wanting to get their bags out of the way. 

Tim would be there soon. It was already a pretty full house now, and they were about to add another person to that. He would be staying until Tuesday, so he would be there for their graduation on Monday night.

“I take it today was a bit exhausting?” Barbara teased her daughter.

“Just a bit. Had my last final today, thank goodness. So glad high school is over for good now,” she stated. Tomorrow they still had rehearsal for the ceremony and then yearbook signing for those that wanted to participate.

It was something Arizona was actually looking forward to. For the first time in her life she had a reason to buy a yearbook and friends who would sign it. In the past their parents had always bought the ones Arizona and Tim were in, stating someday they might want them, but they’d never had anyone that would sign it with more than a ‘Have a nice summer,’ so it seemed like a waste. The blonde had already been planning what she wanted to write in her fiancé’s when she finally had a chance to steal it from her.

“Was it as hard as you thought it was going to be?” Barbara asked, remembering her daughter had been pretty nervous about this last class.

“Actually it wasn’t. I think I did okay,” Arizona admitted honestly. So long as she didn’t do too horribly on it she would still be able to pass the class with an A.

“See, I told you it would be fine,” the elder Robbins woman reassured.

“Mama, up,” Amelia interrupted, done with her snack.

Arizona turned to her daughter, trying not to laugh at the stubborn look on her face. She was in a phase now where she wanted results as soon as she requested something. It probably had something to do with her great-grandparents being at her beck and call.

“Oh, are you all done with your snack?” Arizona asked softly, getting a nod from the toddler. “Alright then, let me go get a cloth so we can wash your hands and face,” she told her. No matter what she ate, the girl always managed to make a mess.

“Up!” Amelia yelled, not liking the idea of having her face washed. She only liked that when she was in the tub, because then she was distracted by her toys.

“Can you say ‘Up, please?’” Arizona asked nicely, trying to train the girl early in manners.

Amelia smiled at her mama, “Up, pees.”

“That’s better.” Arizona quickly wiped the cloth across her daughter’s hands and face, before lifting her into her arms. “I like it when you say please,” she told her. She couldn’t believe how fast her daughter was growing up. She was walking and running all over the place now, and her vocabulary grew by several words each week.

“Grampy?” Amelia asked, looking at her mother, then grandmother. Now that she was done eating she wanted to play with her new favorite friend.

“Grammy and Grampy went to pick up Uncle Tim,” Barbara told her granddaughter for the second time. That had been the first question out of Amelia’s mouth when she got her up from her nap. “They’ll be back in a little bit.” The elder set of Robbins had offered to retrieve Tim, not having been able to spend a lot of time with him lately.

“Is he still insistent on sleeping on an air mattress in the living room?” Callie asked, joining the conversation as she entered the room.

“Far as I know,” Barbara answered.

Callie rolled her eyes, sighing. Both she and Arizona had tried to talk Tim into letting them move Amelia into their room for the weekend so he could at least have some privacy and her room, but he wouldn’t have it. His niece needed to “sleep in her own room,” he’d said. He’d also made jokes about her seeing more than she needed to in their room. Even though they both insisted they’d never do anything with her in the room. It wasn’t something they were comfortable with.

“We should just move her crib into our room before he gets here, then he can’t argue,” Callie suggested.

“He’d just move it back,” Arizona quickly shot down. She knew her brother better than anyone. Once he’d decided something there wasn’t any changing his mind.

“Yeah, probably,” Callie agreed.

“He could always stay in the basement,” Arizona suggested teasingly. Not because they didn’t have a basement, it was just that no previous owners had ever bothered to finish it. Currently it was still a wide open space with framing ready for walls in some areas. The only room that was finished housed the washer, dryer, furnace, and water heater.

“I’m sure he’d love that,” Callie said sarcastically. The last time she’d gone down there to do laundry she swore she saw not one, but two mice run passed her. Not a pleasant experience.

“See if we had our own place this wouldn’t be a problem,” Arizona whispered sweetly in Callie’s ear. She didn’t think her mom could hear her, but the look on Barbara’s face told Callie that she had heard her daughter. They had only talked to Arizona’s parents about which school they would be starting in the fall, they hadn’t yet come up with any other plans.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Callie whispered back.

“You always say that,” Arizona whined at normal volume this time. It seemed that they were at a stalemate currently, neither girl swaying either way. It wasn’t that Callie didn’t want their own place, especially after they were married, because she did. She was worried though that with the stress of school on top of their other responsibilities it might be too much. Plus as she’d stated if they got an apartment somewhere they’d do a lot more driving which would steal some of their family time.

“And one day I’ll mean it,” Callie replied.

Amelia started to get fussy, bored with the conversation and just wanting to get down so she could go play. Standing her on her feet, Arizona followed the little girl into the living room, with her mother and fiancé close behind. The three of them sat on the couch discussing plans for the weekend while they waited for everyone else to arrive home.

As soon as they heard the side door open, Amelia was up and out of the room like shot, heading straight for the kitchen. “Grampy?” she called, not sure if it was her favorite playmate or not, but hoping it was.

“Where’s Grampy’s baby?” a voice called out, letting them know in fact the man in question was there. “There’s my sweet little girl,” Bill said, lifting Amelia into his arms and plastering her with kisses.

“Un Tim,” Amelia squealed, seeing the man who followed her great-grandpa through the door. Reaching her little hands out, she had no fear as she fell into Tim’s arms.

“Hey there, cutie,” Tim greeted, lifting her in the air and blowing a raspberry on her belly. “I missed you, too,” he told the little girl, settling her on his hips. “Where are your moms?” Amelia just held a hand towards the door connecting to the living room.

“Tim!” Arizona squealed, her normal greeting for her brother, and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around his free side, holding him tight. “So glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Tim told her. “Now let me see the ring,” he requested. Of course Arizona had told him the day after they got engaged and even whose ring she was wearing, but he hadn’t gotten to see it for himself yet. A blurry picture over Skype didn’t count.

Arizona lifted her hand up where her brother could see it. It had taken a few days for Arizona to feel comfortable with the ring on her finger, but now that she was, she never wanted to take it off. “It fits perfectly too. I couldn’t believe it when I realized who it belonged too.”

“I always thought you had my mothers’ hands,” Bill announced.

“I still can’t believe Grandma saved it for me all these years. Where is she anyway?” Arizona asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t followed them into the house.

“Oh your aunt called as we were driving back here so she’s out in the car chatting away,” Bill answered with a smile. Laura was one of those people who liked to focus on a conversation. She didn’t do well with distraction. It was one of the things he loved most about her, so he wasn’t surprised when she stayed in the car after they parked. He just rolled the window down and left the keys with her.

“Nothing wrong I hope?” Callie interjected. She hadn’t ever met the rest of Arizona’s family, but that didn’t make her worry any less about them. She was going to be their family too soon.

“Nope she just wanted to chat,” Bill quickly reassured. “She did say to wish you both congratulations on your graduation and they are already making plans to be here for the wedding.”

“Awesome,” Arizona smiled. Although they hadn’t sent out the official announcements yet, most of Arizona’s, as well as Callie’s, family had been told about the upcoming event. Most all had responded positively, with the exception of Callie’s mother. Her father would be there though, and that was enough for Callie. “Hey before I forget to ask, will you do us a favor Tim?”

Tim gave Arizona an inquisitive look. Arizona never had a problem of asking a favor of him, and usually didn’t ask permission, just expected he’d do it, which of course he would. That’s just the way they were with each other. She’d do the same for him. “Sure what is it?”

“Nothing terribly exciting I’m afraid. We were just hoping you could bring Amelia by the school tomorrow around 11?” Arizona asked.

“No problem. But why?” he asked curiously. It seemed like kind of an odd request.

“Our rehearsal should be over by then and since it’s not an actual school day, we talked to Mrs. Montgomery and she said it was okay,” Arizona rambled, trying to gather her thoughts so she made sense.

“A lot of people have been asking about her at school, students and teachers. So Arizona and I decided maybe we could show her off a little bit,” Callie filled in, seeing Arizona’s mind in overdrive. Her girl was so cute when there were too many thoughts in her mind. Which, honestly, was pretty much all the time lately with everything going on.

“Really?” Barbara asked hesitantly. She knew Callie had changed a lot since the first time she’d entered their home. Arizona had too.  Even still, Callie spent all that time keeping her away from people. Of course her health wasn’t as big of a concern now as it had been when she was an infant, but still.

“I know I spent all that time hiding her. I don’t want to do that anymore,” Callie said honestly. “I don’t want her to ever feel like I was ashamed of her for one thing. The other is, I honestly underestimated people. Sure a few of them have been cruel like I expected, but most of them have been real nice.”

“In that case, I’d be more than happy to bring her to you,” Tim answered their request. Leaning his head down, he rested it so his forehead was touching Amelia’s, tickling her just a bit to get her to laugh. “Who can resist this cutie anyway?”

“Un Tim,” Amelia protested, laughing. Stop wasn’t in her vocabulary yet, so she had to make her point in other ways, like trying to tug his hand away from her belly. Once he stopped, she curled into his chest, loving being held by her uncle.

**~CA~**

The next morning Callie and Arizona sat though the rehearsal, bored out of their minds. It was all pretty much common sense, like how to walk in a line, and what to expect when. Unfortunately they had to sit in alphabetical order so they couldn’t sit next to each other. However, because their names were so close together, Arizona was sitting directly in front of Callie. She couldn’t imagine going through the actually ceremony with Callie far away, so she was glad they’d be so close.

Right on the dot, Tim showed up with Amelia chillin’ in her stroller. “Do you need me to stay?” he asked, as Callie took the over driving the stroller.

“Nope, we got it. We should be heading home around one,” Arizona told him, sending him on his way. It would mess with Amelia’s schedule a little bit, but so long as she had lunch and then her nap as soon as they got home she should be fine.

Their first stop was the office so that Mrs. Montgomery could see Amelia. She had told them if she gave them permission to have the girl on campus then she got dibs on seeing her first.

“Oh my goodness, look at her,” the principal said when she saw the girls entering her office. “She’s so adorable.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery,” Callie told her, carefully lifting Amelia up so the other woman could see her.

“Please, you two. School is basically over. Call me Addison, or Addie.” These two weren’t just her students, they were her friends. Now that they were graduating there was no need to be so formal. “Now can I hold her?”

Callie smiled, “Of course.” She just hoped Amelia wouldn’t mind, but their little girl didn’t seem to. She was too busy studying this new person that was talking to her. “I think she likes you,” Callie told her.

“Definitely,” Arizona agreed, when Amelia patted Addison on the face.

“Well I like her too.”

Before they left the office, Addison expressed her gratitude for having Callie as an assistant that year. She’d helped make the older woman’s year a lot easier, especially in the last few months as she transitioned into Principal. It wasn’t supposed to happen until the next school year, but then the sitting principal decided to retire early, The former principal didn’t do much anyway, so the school board promoted her immediately

They wandered around the school with the little girl switching hands between the two of them as they stopped to sign people’s books, or chat for a few minutes. Many people talked to Amelia, but she wasn’t as comfortable with them as she had been with Addison. Instead wanting to just stay in her mothers’ arms.

She did want to be put down when they went to Mrs. Calloway’s classroom, so they let her wander around the room. She was fascinated by all the posters in there. Their favorite teacher chatted with them, watching the baby as she spoke. She wished them luck for their future and their upcoming wedding. “Maybe someday I’ll have her in my classroom,” she nodded her head towards the little girl who was studying a poster with a little boy about her age on it.

“We’re both headed to med school eventually, but I wouldn’t mind coming back here permanently when we’re through with our education,” Callie responded.

“Me too,” Arizona agreed. Seattle was home to her now and she wouldn’t mind someday practicing at one of the local hospitals. It was a great place to raise their family.

Heading back down the stairs, they retrieved her stroller and were just strapping her in when Arizona’s cell phone went off. She threw an apologetic look to Addison who had come out to say goodbye to Amelia. The other woman waved her off, it wasn’t a big deal, and school was over anyway.

Looking at the screen she realized who was calling. Excited, she connected the call and chatted for several minutes. Callie kept asking her who it was, but she just waved her off. By the time the call ended, Callie couldn’t tell if it had been a good call or a bad one. Arizona face revealed nothing.

“That was Lily,” Arizona started. “She’s heard from the judge about our case.”

 


	46. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

_“That was Lily,” Arizona started. “She’s heard from the judge about our case.”_

“She did?” Callie asked. They had flown through all the other steps so quickly that when things slowed down they had to tell themselves to just expect that it might take awhile and not to lose hope. They agreed to sit back and not worry about what could still take months, or maybe longer. “What did she say?”

“The judge wants to set up a meeting with us and the social worker,” Arizona tried to remember what Lily told her. Her brain was going a million miles an hour. It seemed so sudden but at the same time, it seemed like they had been waiting forever.

“When?”

“I um… Wednesday,” Arizona ended, almost like it was a question. It seemed so surreal. They were so close now Arizona could almost feel it. In another five days Amelia could legally be hers.

“Wednesday. That’s soon,” Callie thought aloud. She always thought court dates were set far into the future. That’s what she got for watching all those crime shows during her pregnancy.

“Yeah. Lily said she was with her family in LA right now, but she’d call your dad about flying in Monday night so that she can prep us on Tuesday.” Arizona paused, looking lovingly first at Callie, and then down at Amelia in her stroller. “I could be calling her my own in less than a week.”

Callie stepped back from the stroller, and pulled Arizona into her. “She already is yours,” she whispered  in the other girl’s ear, nuzzling her face into blonde hair.

“You know what I mean,” Arizona sighed, tightening her own arms around Callie’s middle. “Nobody will be able to keep me away from her,” she whispered, the hospital incident never far from her memory.

“I know, I know,” Callie soothed, also reliving that day. The more she remembered it, the angrier she got over the situation. There were days she had to stop herself from storming the hospital and beating the shit out of the woman that had caused Arizona so much pain. She wasn’t typically a violent person, but her two girls brought out the mama bear in her.

“You two best get that baby home,” Addison interrupted, reminding them they weren’t the only ones in the room. She watched the exchange between the two, knowing she should give them some privacy, but couldn’t help herself. In all of her years working with teenagers, she’d never seen a love like these two had. She wasn’t even sure she’d seen it with friends her own age. They had something special.

“Yeah we probably should,” Arizona agreed, looking over Callie’s shoulder to see Amelia dozing in her stroller. It looked like getting her a quick lunch and then a nap wouldn’t be happening today. A cranky toddler was now the more likely result. “If we’re lucky she’ll sleep a couple hours, but not if she’s hungry.”

“If the other option was not getting that phone call from Lily, well then one day of grumpy baby is worth it,” Callie told them. Walking back to the other side of the stroller, Callie began steering it out of the room with Arizona right beside her.

“Good luck you two,” Addison called out just before the door shut behind them.

The girls practically raced home, not slowing down until Amelia was safely tucked away in her crib. Once they were sure she was going to stay asleep, they ran back downstairs to share their news with the rest of the family.

“Bill, see if we can change our flight to later in the week,” Laura told her husband as soon as the excitement had calmed down.

“On it,” he told her, heading for the phone to call the airline. There was no way they’d be leaving Wednesday morning now.

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Arizona told them, secretly pleased that they wanted to stay.

“Nonsense. This is going to be a big day for our family. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be,” Laura easily dismissed.

“Just because we have this meeting doesn’t mean everything will be finalized for sure,” Callie tried to be the voice of reason. “He could deny it, which, I’m sure he won’t,” she quickly added. “Or he could give us a waiting period.”

“I know, but we still want to be here, just in case,” Laura assured.

It was times like these that Tim hated living so far away. He wished he could stay as well, but knew there was a very slim chance. He was already requesting a week vacation to spend time with his family during the week of the wedding. He’d just have to enjoy the time he did get with them.

**~CA~**

The weekend came and went as they all enjoyed the time they had together as one big family. The men decided to head out Saturday to go fishing, leaving the women to do what they did best, shop and plan a wedding.

Although Arizona would likely never admit it, Callie could see the nervousness on her fiancé’s face. It was an excited kind of nervous, but she could see the doubt and worry there as well. Callie had faith that everything would be alright. She couldn’t think it would go any other way. Who wouldn’t take one look at Arizona and see how much of a mother she was?

Arizona on the other hand worried that the man wouldn’t like her. That maybe he wouldn’t see her fit to be someone’s parent. Or maybe he had something about gay people adopting. Lily tried to assure her that she’d been in front of this judge before and that he was one of the good ones, but it didn’t stop her from worrying.

Carlos came over Sunday night to celebrate the upcoming graduation and court hearing with the family. He first gave Arizona a giant hug, welcoming her to the family, having not seen the girls since before the prom.

It always amazed Callie to see how easily her father fit in with the Robbins, something she never would have believed of the man she grew up with. Without hesitation, he even accepted Daniel’s invitation to join their next fishing trip. She couldn’t help but laugh at the image of her father that relaxed, but maybe it was something he would enjoy and would help him loosen up a little bit.

Overall, Callie enjoyed the night, and loved the interaction between her father and her new family. She’d felt like a Robbins since the moment she’d stepped through their doors, and she wanted all of her family to get along.

As night fell, Tim started a fire in the pit and everyone circled around it, chatting away. Amelia hopped from person to person, soaking up all of the attention that she could. No one batted an eye when she crawled on their lap and requested their full attention. With a blanket wrapped around them, Amelia finally fell asleep in Arizona’s arms, with Callie’s hand protectively on her back.

Monday brought an entirely different set of nerves as Arizona slid on her gown over her dress. In just a few short hours she would no longer be a high school student. Looking at Callie across their bedroom instantly calmed her nerves. With Callie at her side, everything would be fine.

It was no surprise when Barbara, once again, insisted on an entire photoshoot before they left the house. She insisted on every possible combination with the girls in their cap and gowns.

The one Arizona would always treasure, however, was the one they took of Amelia by herself. The little girl tugged on Arizona’s cap until her mama realized what she wanted. Standing the little girl on the floor, she took her navy blue cap off and set it on the little girl’s head. The fact that it was too big didn’t stop Amelia from grinning as she tried to keep it on.

Not wanting to let go of her new toy, Arizona buckled Amelia into her seat, letting her play with the cap on the drive to school. The toddler wasn’t very happy to have to give it back when her moms had to separate from the rest of the family. Uncle Tim swooped in, dancing with her on his hip as they headed to find some seats.

The two girls walked hand-in-hand towards the hallway where they were supposed to line up. Sharing a quick kiss before they separated, Callie whispered, “I love you,” in Arizona’s ear.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back. “Don’t trip,” she teased as they separated.

“Well now I know who to blame if I do,” Callie retorted, earning a laugh from her girl.

If asked later, Arizona couldn’t tell you what was said during the ceremony. All she remembered is the gentle caresses she felt on her shoulder periodically from her fiancé behind her. When her name was called, she walked across the stage, her eyes scanning the crowd to find her family. A smile stole over her face to see Tim holding onto Amelia’s legs where she stood on top of his own. Her little hands trying to clap as she caught sight of her mother.

Callie made a similar move as she walked across the stage, accepting her diploma and shaking various hands. Finding her daughter in the crowd, she held the piece of paper in the air in victory, knowing she’d done this at least in part for her baby.

As caps went flying through the air and everyone began cheering, Arizona turned around and pulled Callie to bend over the seat so she could place a passionate kiss on her lips. “We did it,” was all she had to say.

**~CA~**

Too restless to sit still, Arizona wandered up and down the brown floors of the courthouse. She lost count of how many trips she’d made so far. If they weren’t called soon she was going to make a hole in the floor. It didn’t help that they were almost a half-hour early, but she just couldn’t sit at home a minute longer.

The entire family, save for Tim, was there with them. Even Carlos had taken the day off to join them. Although Lily had warned them that they likely wouldn’t be able to come in, they wanted to be there to show their support. So they settled themselves on the benches along the wall, prepared to wait however long it took.

“Baby, you really need to quit pacing,” Callie told Arizona. Grabbing one of Arizona’s arms, she stopped her movement. Turning them so they were face-to-face, Callie gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine.”

“What if it’s not? What if he hates me?”

“He is going to love you,” Callie promised, placing a quick kiss on Arizona’s forehead. “He is going to see what an amazing mother you are.” She placed another kiss to Arizona’s nose this time. “And he is going to say yes.” She finished with a finale kiss to the blonde’s lips.

“He’s going to say yes,” Arizona repeated, trying to convince herself.

A tug on her dress, she wanted to look nice for today, caught her attention. Looking down, Amelia stood by her legs, looking adorable in her own lavender purple dress. “Mama, up,” she requested, holding her hands in the air. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel her mama’s emotions and wanted to be held.

“Oh my baby girl,” Arizona cooed as she picked the baby up and settled her on her hip. “You _are_ my baby girl and I love you so much,” she told her, placing a kiss on Amelia’s chubby cheeks. “No matter what, that will always be true.” She needed to reassure herself as well as Amelia.

A door opened a few feet away, startling both girls when a woman exited. “Robbins, Torres,” she called the names on the file. “Judge Travis is ready for you now,” she told them.

Arizona gave Amelia another kiss on the cheek before handing her over to Barbara. She wanted to take Amelia in with her so the judge could see they really were a family, but Lily told her they typically left kids out of the room unless they were older and the judge wanted to talk to them.

Lily stepped in line behind them as they were lead down the hallway and into what looked like a conference room. It wasn’t what Arizona had been expecting at all. In her heard they would be in a courtroom like you see on TV.

Lily smiled at the confusion on Arizona’s face. She’d forgotten to explain this wasn’t a criminal case or a lawsuit. “Think of this like a job interview, or a staff meeting. Not like you’ve been arrested and have to appear before a jury,” she told Arizona. “He just wants to talk with you, ask some questions maybe.”

They hadn’t been standing there more than a minute when the social worker, Cindy Hansen, entered the room. “Good, I made it,” she sighed in relief. “Got held up on another case.”

Cindy moved to the left side of the table, while Lily led them to stand on the right. They all remained standing until Judge Travis entered the room, signaling for them to take their seats.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he greeted, getting a greeting from them back. “I’m Judge Travis. I take it you two are Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres?” he asked, looking at the two girls.

“Yes, your honor,” Arizona said meekly. Judge Travis was a big man, and slightly intimidating. He also held part of her future in his hands.

“Mrs. Kaklis, nice to see you again,” he turned a smile to Lily. He wished he got more lawyers like Lily in his courtroom. She wasn’t there for the money. She was there to fight for what was right.

“You too, sir,” she smiled back.

“Let’s get down to business shall we? I’ve read over your petition for adoption, and while I like what I see, I wanted us to all talk for a minute,” he explained, looking at Arizona in the eye and then Callie. “I wanted to make sure, Miss Robbins, that you understand the responsibility you are taking on. If I grant your petition you will be a parent in the eyes of the law. You will be responsible to provide food and clothing, to make sure she is cared for, to make sure she gets her checkups, and when she’s old enough to make sure she gets an education. You are taking on the job of raising a child as your own.”

“I know, sir. I’m ready for that,” Arizona said confidently.

“I’ve read your report Mrs. Hansen,” he said next, turning to the social worker. “Were there any concerns you had at all?”

“None your honor. I could see how happy and healthy Amelia is. She is obviously loved, not just by Arizona, but by Arizona’s family as well. Arizona’s mother, Barbara, has been her caretaker while the girls were in school. She treated her no differently than one would a biological grandchild.”

Judge Travis simply nodded his head, processing his thoughts. Looking back down at the file in front of him, he found the next thing he wanted to talk about. “Normally one of the biggest factors in an adoption case is often proving you can provide. Children aren’t cheap, believe me, I raised four of them,” he joked, putting Arizona and Callie at ease about what was going to come next. “I know in this case, that’s really not an issue. I’ve golfed with your father a few times,” he said to Callie. “He’s a good man.”

“We don’t plan on relying on his money. At least not forever,” Arizona quickly inserted. “Callie’s insisted she wants to make her own way and I agree. We both plan to go to medical school, which isn’t cheap. After that though, we’ll be able to provide for ourselves.”

“I did see that in your file,” he told them. “Ambitious, I’ll give you that.” He paused, giving them both a minute to breathe. “Now, the last thing before I make my decision is your relationship. What will happen if you two decide to split up someday?”

“That will never happen,” Callie assures. “If it did, however, I would never keep Amelia from Arizona. As far as Amelia knows, Arizona is her mother. She’s been in our lives since Amelia was five months old, she’ll never know any differently. Even if you were to deny the adoption, the same would be true. Arizona is her mother.”

“But that’s not going to happen,” Arizona starts in. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we are going make it. We’re getting married soon and I am sure we will still be married when we’re old and grey, watching our grandchild play out in the yard from our porch swing.”

The judge smiled at both of them. “Congratulations on your engagement. That wasn’t in your file.”

“It only happened a few weeks ago,” Arizona explained.

“Alright. Well does anyone else have anything to say before I make my decision?”

“Just one thing,” Callie smiles, taking the folder Lily had in her hand and sliding it toward the judge. Arizona gave her a curious look, but Callie just smiled.

Opening the folder, he smiled, grinned even when he realized Arizona clearly had no idea what he’d just been handed. “I hear your whole family is out in the hallway, am I right? Why don’t we go bring them in for this,” he suggested.

While Lily ran to go get them, Arizona leaned over and whispered to Callie. “What did you just give him?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” was all Callie said.

A couple of minutes later, five adults, and one bored toddler squeezed into the room.

“Let me see this cutie,” Judge Travis said, taking her from her grandmother. He played with her for a few minutes before handing her over to Arizona. “Now, back to business. I am proud to declare Arizona Robbins as the parent and legal guardian of Amelia Marie Robbins,” he announced.

All eyes in the room moved back and forth between excitement, shock, and confusion. All but two, Callie and Lily had no traces of confusion or shock.

“Callie, are you sure?” Arizona asked, incredibly happy but confused at the same time.

“I’m sure, very sure.”

“But don’t you want her to share your name?”

Callie laughed, getting an even more confused look from Arizona. The blonde didn’t know what about this situation was funny. “We’re getting married, remember?”

“Yes, I remember,” Arizona answered, still not sure where this was going.

“Well I’ve thought about it, and I want to change my name to Robbins too. I want us all to share one name,” Callie explained.

“Why don’t I just change mine to Torres? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

“Maybe, but it wouldn’t have the same meaning. I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere until I came into your home that first day. Living as a Robbins, finally made me feel like I was home, I want the name to go with it,” Callie told her honestly. She’d thought about it every day since she realized she wanted to marry Arizona.

“Robbins it is then,” Arizona agreed, now seeing what it meant to Callie. “Now let’s take _our_ daughter home and celebrate as a family.”

“Sounds good to me.”


	47. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Two weeks later and Arizona was still living on the high from the finalization of Amelia’s adoption. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of her daughter, knowing Amelia belonged to her in every way possible. Even though the little girl had no idea of the big change that happened in her life, she knew something was different by all of the extra attention she was getting from her mama.

“I’m a mother now,” Arizona said with a smile that night as they crawled into bed.

“You always were,” Callie told her, pulling Arizona into her arms and kissing her on the forehead.

Arizona tilted her head up to look Callie in the eye and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Yes, but now nobody can tell me I’m not, ever again.” Callie just smiled and kissed Arizona sweetly, knowing no words needed to be said.

Now, they were just three weeks shy of their wedding, and both of them were getting extremely anxious for the ceremony. Now that they didn’t have school to take away their focus, everything was pretty much planned and ready to go. Now they were just waiting for the actual day.

“Did you grab the sunscreen?” Callie yelled from the second floor landing as she headed down to the living room, Amelia in her arms. It was supposed to be a nice day outside, so they decided to spend a few hours at the park followed by a picnic lunch. Amelia had been asking for ‘wings’ for days. They couldn’t get her to say the ‘sw’ sound yet.

“Yes, it’s already in the diaper bag,” Arizona called back from the kitchen, as she threw drinks in the small cooler. Snapping her fingers, “Amelia’s apple juice,” she reminded herself when she realized she was forgetting something. Taking the small jug from the fridge, she tried to squeeze it in between several bottles of water, hoping the lid would shut.

Walking into the kitchen, Callie laughed, watching Arizona try to force the lid down on the cooler. Handing their daughter to Arizona, she pushed her fiancé out of the way and turned to the stubborn container. Looking inside to see if things could be moved, she turned to Arizona with a smile. “Are you planning for us to be gone for a week?” she teased.

Not only had Arizona loaded the thing with a variety of snacks and their lunches, she had four or five drinks in there for each of them. Which, would be the reason she couldn’t get the lid down.

“It’s supposed to be really hot later. We might be thirsty,” Arizona defended.

Laughing, Callie took out two of the six water bottles. After that she poured some of the apple juice in a sippy cup, putting the rest of the jug back in the fridge. Moving things around a little, she was finally able to close and lock the top of the cooler. “Now, which one of us is going to get this in the car?” she asked.

“I got the baby and the diaper bag,” Arizona responded, grabbing the bag off of the table and heading for the door.

“You so owe me,” Callie muttered under her breath.

Just as Callie was trying to lift the heavy thing into the car, her phone began ringing in her pocket. Pulling it out, she stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

Arizona, who was buckling Amelia into her seat, looked over the seat and out the back. Callie was just standing there staring at her phone. “Who is it?” she asked softly. There weren’t very many people that Callie would hesitate to take a call from.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Callie ignored Arizona’s question and answered the call. “Hello?” she asked hesitantly. She listened quietly while the other person spoke, holding a hand up to Arizona who was still waiting for an answer, to tell her to hold on a minute.

“We were just on our way to the park actually,” Callie spoke into the phone. “That would be fine. Sandridge Park,” she finished, before hanging the phone.

“Who was it?” Arizona asked again.

“It was Izzie. She said she wanted to talk to me about something,” Callie shrugged, climbing into the front seat and starting the car.

“She’s coming to the park I take it?” It wasn’t really a question. Why else would Callie tell her which park they were going to?

“Yeah,” was all the answer Arizona got as Callie backed the car out of the driveway.

When they got to the park, the two girls worked together to lay out a blanket on the grass in the shade and set everything up to spend the next few hours there. As well as the cooler, they had a sack full of sand toys, a pillow, and blanket in case Amelia fell asleep before they could get her home for her nap.

When Amelia tried to head straight for the swings, Callie grabbed her around the waist, holding her in place while Arizona covered every inch of exposed skin in sunscreen. The entire time her mothers had her trapped, she never once took her eyes off of the one thing she wanted. Callie wasn’t taking any chances on her little girl getting burned.

“You best put some on too,” Callie told Arizona once they were done with their daughter. Callie didn’t burn easily, but she knew the same wasn’t true for Arizona. The blonde burned very easily and Callie hated seeing her in pain.

“But it’s so slimy,” Arizona whined. She hated having to put on sunscreen, it was so oily and slippery. The texture made her cringe. She put it on Amelia because she didn’t want her little girl to get burned, but hated putting it on herself.

“You’re such a baby,” Callie teased. “Come here, I’ll do it.” It was hard to keep Amelia waiting, but they managed to keep her on the blanket while Callie took care of Arizona.

“Yuck,” Arizona stated once Callie was all done. She hated smell of the stuff. A part of her knew it was better than going home looking like a lobster. Plus Callie putting it on her had felt really good. Her fiancé would be getting lucky the first chance they had.

As soon as she was granted permission, Amelia went racing toward her beloved swings with her mama right behind her. Callie followed more slowly behind them. Taking a seat on one of the bigger kid swings, she watched as Arizona pushed Amelia in one of the toddler ones. Arizona got tired of pushing long before Amelia grew tired of swinging, so she and Callie switched positions.

The park was fairly deserted, so when a car pulled up they noticed. When they realized who it was, they pulled Amelia out of the swing and promised her some cold juice and a snack to distract her. Settling her down on the blanket, Callie gave Amelia her sippy cup and a cookie.

Izzie got all the way to the blanket before she stopped and just stood there, not knowing what to say. In her head, she’d rehearsed what she wanted to say, but now that she was in front of Callie she didn’t know what to say. “Hi,” she finally managed to get out.

“Hey, Izzie,” Callie said as friendly as possible. She had been the one trying to reach out to the other girl first, but now that she was here, she didn’t know where they would go from here. “Why don’t you sit down,” she invited.

Arizona looked back and forth between the two girls who used to be best friends. “Do you want me leave?” she asked when neither girl started the conversation. She knew Callie wouldn’t mind her being there, but maybe Izzie was more hesitant with her there.

“No. What I have to say involves both of you,” Izzie told them.

“Alright. Why don’t I just get Amelia set up in the sandbox so she doesn’t get bored,” Arizona said. Thankfully the sandbox was only a couple of feet away, so it would be easy to keep an eye on Amelia while they talked. Grabbing her daughter’s hand, she guided her over to the sand, dumping out her bag of toys. “There, she should be good for now at least,” Arizona told them when she returned.

“Guess that means it’s time for me to start talking,” Izzie mumbled more to herself than to them. “I got your voicemails,” she started, looking at Callie. “But not until just a few weeks ago when I came home,” she paused, not sure where to even start with everything she had to say. Callie and Arizona both stayed quiet, letting her do this in her own time.

“The night of prom, you could probably tell, but I was pretty wasted, and it wasn’t the first time. I had been drinking pretty heavily for awhile. I’m not even sure how I got home, I think Mrs. Montgomery called a cab for me or something. I didn’t want to be at home though, so I got in my car and started driving, not even sure where I was going. I never got wherever it was. Instead I ran into a telephone pole just around the corner from my house. It was the last straw for my mom and she threw me into rehab that night.”

When Izzie stopped to take a breath, Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, silently communicating. The rumor had been true after all. It wasn’t really a surprise, but it was different knowing it was a fact.

“Part of rehab is making amends. I want both of you to know how sorry I am for how I treated you. I’m really sorry for everything I said to you, Arizona. You didn’t deserve it,” Izzie told her sincerely.

Arizona nodded, accepting her apology. This whole situation was different for her than it was for Callie. She had only the girl Izzie that had been the last year. She didn’t know the girl Callie had once called a friend. Still, it was easy to forgive her, knowing there were qualities in Izzie that once made Callie her friend.

“I don’t even know where to start apologizing to you, Callie,” Izzie spoke through the silence that had lingered for a few moments. “What I did the night of the party was wrong. I hated that you had all of those guys drooling over you and you didn’t even seem to notice.”

This got Callie’s attention. She had no idea what Izzie was talking about. Which perhaps just proved the other girl’s point. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she admitted.

“I know you don’t,” Izzie laughed, and it wasn’t harsh or cruel, it was honest laughter. “Back then it was so aggravating. Now it makes a lot more sense to me,” she said, looking towards Arizona and then back to Callie. “I thought maybe if you loosened up for a night maybe things would change.” She went on to tell them how she got Mark to help her get Callie to have some fun. Neither one realized at the time the consequences their actions would later have.

 “I know, now, why what I did was wrong,” Izzie explained. “I should have then, but I didn’t let myself see it. My problem with alcohol started several months before that party, but I did my best to hide it from everyone, including you.”

 She expressed that her anger for Callie was because she had just up and left the group and didn’t look back. She missed her friend, but wasn’t going to admit it to anyone.. She’d been harsh and cruel to Callie to hide the hurt she was really feeling.

“Then the rumor went around school that you had a baby. I knew then what had happened. I knew why you were so mad at me about that night. It made the anger at you rise even more. Little miss perfect grades has a baby and still the teachers saw you as the golden child. You walked away from your friends, had baby, and still people admired you. Feeling the guilt of knowing it was partially my fault made me leave you alone.” By that point she was drinking so much through the day it was a surprise she hadn’t been thrown out of school.

“So what happened the night of prom?” Callie finally voiced the question. Something had changed that night for Izzie to attack them out of nowhere.

“This is the hardest part. What I say next will change everything for you. I need to tell you, but only if you are ready to hear it,” Izzie told her, suddenly feeling very mature. She knew what she had to tell Callie could possibly hurt both her and Arizona. Even after everything, she still felt the need to protect Callie as only a friend would.

Callie exchanged a look with Arizona, having no idea what could possibly have happened. Arizona reached out and took Callie’s hand. Callie nodded for Izzie to go on, while Arizona took another glance at Amelia just to make sure she was still playing happily.

“If you’re sure,” Izzie asked, seeing Callie nod again. “I had been dating this guy, this college guy for a few weeks, so I brought him as my date. A little while into the dance, he tells me he recognized you and when I ask where from, he thinks about it for a minute, and then tells me he hooked up with you at some party he crashed.”

Callie and Arizona’s jaws dropped then as realization dawned on. “You mean he’s…?” Callie really wasn’t sure how to ask.

“I think so, yeah,” Izzie answers. “At that point I was angry at you both. Although to be honest I was mad more at him and myself. It just made me angrier and that’s when I blew up at you.”

After I got out of rehab, I called him up and told him the whole story of that night. He feels really bad about what happened now that he knows the whole story, like he took advantage of you. He’s actually in my car right now waiting in case you want to talk to him. I didn’t tell him about,” she nods her head in Amelia’s direction. “That’s not my place. If you don’t want to talk to him though he understands.”

“Do you?” Arizona asks. She knows how hard this must be for Callie, but she knows her lover needs closure. She promised she’d support Callie either way, and she was more than ready to live up to that.

“I… I don’t know,” Callie admitted honestly. The last time she’d felt this out of sorts was the day she realized she was pregnant. Could she talk to him without telling him about Amelia? If he had been watching them, he might already know anyway. Especially since Amelia now was apparently bored with her toys and decided to vie for her moms’ attention again. Looking at her little girl as she crawled into her lap, she knew what she needed to do. “I think I better.”

“Alright, I’ll go get him then,” Izzie told them standing up. “I really am sorry for everything,” she apologized again, before she walked towards her car.

“We forgive you,” Callie yelled to her, speaking for both of them. Izzie had hurt her sure, but knowing now the kind of dark place she must have been in, it was easier to understand where she was coming from. Besides, she didn’t regret the life she had now for anything.

“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Arizona asked softly once Izzie was gone.

“No, but it’s something I need to do,” Callie answered truthfully.

“Do you want me to stay here? Or do you want me to go entertain Amelia?”

“Go play with Amelia, I’ll be fine,” Callie told her, knowing why Arizona was asking. “I’d rather her not be around for this anyway. He might put two and two together, but I don’t want him near her until I know what he wants.”

“Agreed.” A part of Arizona wanted to feel threatened by this newcomer into their lives, but she was secure in her love for Callie and the adoption was final so nothing could keep her from Amelia. Taking Amelia from Callie’s arms, the two wandered over to the jungle gym with the promise of fun on the slide.

Callie watched them go with a smile on her face, only turning away from them when she felt a presence beside her. She tried to recognize the man standing in front of her, going through her memory. It felt as if the memory was right there but she just couldn’t unlock it. He wasn’t bad looking, but Arizona definitely had him beat by a mile in the looks department.

After looking him up and down, her eyes wandered to his ears. Arizona was always telling her how every part of Amelia reminded her of Callie, except the ears. They were almost an exact copy of her daughter’s, only bigger.

“Well this is awkward,” the man finally broke the silence.

“Just a little bit,” Callie agreed.

“My name is Joe, Joe Hinkley,” he introduced himself.

“Callie, Callie Torres, soon to be Callie Robbins,” she all but rambled. Not sure how to talk to a stranger you slept with but didn’t remember a single minute of it.

“You’re getting married,” he said, not really as a question.

“Yeah,” Callie answered, falling silent. After a minute of staring at each other, she gestured for him to sit down.

“So, who’s the lucky guy?” Joe asked. He had a million things he wanted to tell this girl, but he couldn’t remember a single one. After Izzie had told him what happened and how her friend didn’t remember that night at all, he felt incredibly guilty. Like he’d taken advantage of her somehow.

“Girl, and she’s right over there,” Callie told him, pointing to Arizona who was now chasing Amelia across the grass. They both watched on as Arizona caught Amelia around the waist, swing her though the air and then pulling her close to tickle her.

“I’m guessing the kid isn’t your sister.”

“Nope,” Callie answered.

“Is she mine?”

“If you’re the one I was with that night then yes.”

“I see,” Joe said, falling quiet. He had no idea how to respond to that. Fathering a child only added to the guilt he was already feeling.

“Look, I don’t want or need anything from you,” Callie started, wanting to make sure she had her say. “My daughter already has two parents that love her more than life itself,” emphasizing the ‘my.’ “In fact Arizona’s adoption of Amelia was just finalized. So we’re good, we’re a family.”

Joe watched the two girls playing several feet away. He watched the love in Arizona’s eyes as she ran from Amelia who was now chasing her as best as she could on her little legs. He smiled at the laughter coming from the blonde’s mouth as she let the toddler tackle her to the ground. “I can see that,” he admitted. “If you get me the paperwork, I’ll sign away my rights.”

“You’d do that?” Callie asked shocked. She really didn’t know this man from Adam, but he seemed like a nice enough guy.

“Like you said, she already has two parents. Even I can see that,” he said, pointing at the girls who were now rolling around in the grass. Callie cringed thinking of the grass stains on both of their clothes.

“You’ll probably have to take a paternity test,” Callie warned him.

“That’s fine, just tell me where and when. I’ll be there,” he promised. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” Callie told him. “Look at what I got out of it,” she threw a smile at her girls.

“You have a piece of paper?” he asked. Callie searched through the diaper bag, she found an old receipt and a pen, and handed them to him. “Here’s my number and address. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

“I won’t. Thank you,” Callie said, taking the paper from his hands. “I’ll contact you after I’ve talked to our lawyer,” she also promised. She hesitated a minute, before asking what she felt obligated too. “Do you want to meet her?”

“Nah, that’s okay. I don’t want to break up their fun, maybe another time. I meant what I said, I’m more than willing to give up my rights. I’m not really father material anyway, especially right now. But I’ll be there if you ever need anything.”

“Maybe we could send you pictures every now and then,” Callie suggested. He was being so good about everything. She felt the need to offer him something.

“I’d like that.” He told her goodbye and she watched as he walked back to Izzie’s car and climbed into the passenger seat. Once the car was out of sight, she stood up and headed over to her girls, feeling lighter than she had in almost two years.


	48. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

A grin stole over Arizona’s face when she entered her bedroom to find her fiancé reclined on their bed. The other girl had her nose buried in a book and was completely unaware that she was no longer alone. Walking over to the bed, Arizona pulled the book out of Callie’s hands while climbing on top of her lover. “Hey, beautiful,” she greeted as she sat back on Callie’s legs.

“Hey yourself, sweetheart,” Callie smiled, running her now empty hands along Arizona’s thighs. The pajama shorts the blonde was wearing stopped Callie’s roaming hands inches short of Arizona’s center. “Amelia asleep?” she asked huskily.

“Out like a light,” Arizona answered, pointing her head towards the baby monitor on the bedside table, the screen showing their baby curled up in the corner of her crib, sleeping peacefully. “Took her awhile tonight, but she finally gave in,” she added.

Lying down, Arizona covered Callie’s body with her own and captured her lips in a kiss that quickly grew hungry. “Why isn’t it Saturday yet?” she whined when they finally pulled apart. “I want to have you all to myself.”

Callie let out a full body laugh. “It’s only two more days. You’ll survive,” she teased. There were only two more days until their wedding. A mere 48 hours until their short honeymoon. “Then we will have three whole days of just you and me,” she smiled, pecking Arizona on the lips. They both agreed that it would be hard to leave Amelia for that long, but she’d be in the hands of four very capable grandparents.

“That sounds like heaven,” Arizona smiled at the thought. Not that she didn’t love her family, but three whole days of just the two of them sounded so good to her. No interruptions, no responsibilities, just time to enjoy each other. Once they started school in the fall they would have limited time together. Arizona wanted to soak up as much time as they could before then.

“Yes it does,” Callie agreed.

“Are you sure about changing your name?” Arizona asked again, getting a groan out of Callie. They’d had this discussion several since Amelia’s adoption.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Callie stated firmly. “I want all three of us to share a name and I want to be a Robbins.” She knew Arizona simply didn’t want her to have any regrets, but having the same conversation over and over again was going to drive Callie crazy.

Honestly, she was more than happy to shed the Torres name. Not that she had anything against the name itself. She just hated how people seemed to react to the name. When Amelia was born she’d given her the Torres name because there wasn’t another option at the time. Almost as soon as the adoption process began, however, she’d started thinking about changing it.

“Okay, fine, fine. I’ll drop it,” Arizona finally surrendered. “I was just thinking it might get confusing if we both end up working at the same hospital. That’s all.”

“It might,” Callie agreed. “But probably not for long. People will find ways to separate our names I’m sure. Plus we’ll likely end up in different specialties.”

Arizona rolled that thought around in her head, realizing Callie had a point. Even if they both ended up becoming surgeons, which Arizona was leaning towards more and more every day, they likely wouldn’t end up in the same specialty. “You’re right about that. Bones bore me,” she teased lightly, glancing at the book on skeletal systems she’d pulled out of Callie’s hands earlier.

“Oh they do, do they?” Callie asked with a mischievous smirk. “So I guess the bones in my hand that help me do this are boring,” she said as she ran her hands along Arizona’s body, then grabbed and squeezed the other girls firm butt. “Or the ones that allow my fingers to do this?” Grabbing the hem of Arizona’s tank top, she pulled it off of her body, leaving her bare from the waist up. “Are bones still boring?” she breathed in Arizona’s ear as her hands found her way inside her lover’s shorts.

“Nope, definitely not boring now,” Arizona moaned as fingers made their way further inside, headed for their goal.

“Didn’t think so,” Callie smirked. Rolling them so she was on top, she pulled the rest of Arizona’s clothes off her before discarding her own. “Now let me show you what else my bones can do.”

Arizona could hardly wait.

**~CA~**

As Callie drove through the streets to her childhood home, she couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her fiancé’s face just a few minutes earlier. Arizona was in full-on pout-mode as Callie climbed into her SUV. “This is the stupidest idea you’ve ever had,” Arizona had insisted.

“We might not have the most traditional wedding, but we can at least pretend,” Callie responded back.

“But I can’t sleep without you,” her soon-to-be wife pouted, lower lip on full display.

“It’s one night, you’ll be fine,” Callie said, not taking the bait. Sticking her head out the window, she gave Arizona a quick kiss.

Dropping the pout, after she realized she wasn’t going to win this time, Arizona returned the kiss. She took in the reality of their situation. The next time they kissed they would be a married couple. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Arizona asked worriedly. Originally, when Callie insisted they spend the night before their wedding apart, she was going to get a hotel room. Carlos had insisted otherwise once he’d heard about it, promising to do whatever he had to in order to keep her mother from starting anything.

“I’ll be fine. She couldn’t ruin this for me even if she wanted,” Callie smiled. Nothing could’ve brought her down in the next 24 hours.

“You sure you don’t want to at least take Amelia with you?” Selfishly, Arizona wanted to have her daughter with her if she couldn’t have her fiancé, but she had to ask anyway. At least she had other people around her, Callie would only have her dad tonight.

“No. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for her. She’ll sleep better in her own home.” And on the off chance Lucia did decide to make a fuss, at least Amelia wouldn’t be around for it. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Arizona said, sharing once last kiss before Callie drove away.

Pulling into the driveway of the home she grew up in, Callie studied the house for a moment. It didn’t give her any of the same feelings of warmth and love that the Robbins home gave her. Even before she’d officially moved in she had that same feeling whenever she entered the house.

Grabbing her overnight bag from the back seat, Callie made her way through the front door. She hadn’t lived here in so long, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do, if she should just go in or if she should knock. Luckily she didn’t have to fret over it too long. Before she could even make it to the top of the stairs, the door was thrown open.

“Mija, so glad to have you home, even if just for the night,” Carlos greeted, wrapping her in a hug. Dropping the bag to the ground, Callie returned the hug and relished the feeling. She never thought she’d see the day when her father showed affection. How glad she was to be wrong.

“I’ve missed you too, Papi,” she told her father.

“Come into the family room. It’s been a while since we’ve really talked,” he told her. When she tried to pick up her bag he told her to leave it, promising it would find its way up to her room. Remembering what it was like to live in this house, she did as she was told, knowing it would, in fact, find its way up there.

They spent the next hour catching up on what had been going on. The last couple weeks had mostly been spent preparing for the wedding so she and her father hadn’t had a chance to talk in awhile. They spent most of their time talking about Amelia, what she’d been up to, and how fast she seemed to be growing.

She told him about Amelia’s attachment to Grandpa Bill during the elder Robbins last visit, but how during their latest visit, the little girl has attached herself to Tim who’d arrived the day before.  “It was the cutest thing. She walked over to him saying ‘yucky’ and pointing at her diaper. When we told him that meant she wanted him to change her, all the color drained from his face. He’s changed a lot of her wet diapers, but he always manages to disappear when the poopy ones come around.”

“Sounds like a smart guy to me,” Carlos smiled. He loved seeing the happiness on Callie’s face as she spoke about the people who had become her family. He felt a moment of regret that he and Lucia had only one child, leaving Callie as an only-child. Obviously his daughter missed out on that sibling bond growing up. She seemed to have built that bond with the older Robbins child.

 “Seeing the look on his face, because he knew he was stuck, was priceless. He couldn’t disappear on her this time, not with the whole family watching. He looked pretty proud of himself though when he came back in the room with her,” Callie finished her story, living in the memory for a moment.

“Sounds like he’ll make a good father someday,” Carlos said, wanting to keep the conversation going.

“He really will…” Callie stopped when they heard the front door open and close. Silently Callie was praying that her mother would go directly upstairs, but that was quickly dashed when they heard footsteps coming their way.

“Carlos, I didn’t realize you’d be home tonight,” Lucia called by as she neared the room, the surprise evident in her tone. He hadn’t been home much lately and when he was, he typically slept in one of the guest rooms. “I saw another car out there as well…” she stopped as she entered the room to see her husband and daughter relaxed on the couch. “Callie,” she hesitantly greeted.

“Hello, mother,” Callie tried to be kind, but her voice still had a touch of chill to it.

“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Lucia asked, adopting the same tone.

“Callie has come to spend her last night as a Torres with us,” Carlos smiled proudly.

“Her last night as a Torres?” Lucia questioned.

“Oh don’t play dumb, Lucia,” Carlos chastised. “It doesn’t suit you. You know full well Callie is getting married tomorrow. She’s decided to change her name, a decision I fully support.” He’d had a hard time with it at first, but then he’d come to realize if she was marrying a man it would have been the same outcome. He also understood her reasons.

“Two girls playing dress-up is hardly a wedding,” Lucia scoffed.

 Growing angry, Callie stood up to go toe-to-toe with her mother. “Our marriage will be fully recognized by the state of Washington. You know that,” Callie shot at her. She couldn’t understand why her mother acted like this. She hadn’t always been so cold and hostile. She remembered moments, she was probably in elementary school at the time, when her mother had almost seemed like any other mother. She’d ask her how her day was, or spend a few minutes with her here and there.

“Just because the law has changed doesn’t make it right,” Lucia argued. “It doesn’t make it right in the eyes of the church.”

“Same old arguments again and again,” Callie rolled her eyes. “You only use the church when it suits you. When was the last time actually attended Mass…uh uh uh,” she waved a finger, stopping her mother from interrupting. “And actually listened? The last time you weren’t doing business on your phone from the pew?” She had her mother there. Attending church was about appearances for her mother more so than anything.

“What I do and don’t do doesn’t invalidate the truth.”

“Your truth and my truth are not the same,” Callie shot back. She wasn’t sure there would ever be an end to this argument. They simply had two different belief systems at play. “If there comes a day when the Lord judges me for loving Arizona, then that’s His right, but it’s not yours.”

“It’s not right,” Lucia tried to start again. 

“I don’t want to fight with you anymore,” Callie interrupted sadly. “I’m sorry that you can’t accept who I am, but I’m not going to change. Not for you, not for anyone. I love Arizona more than anything in the world next to Amelia. Those two are what make every day worth living. Nothing you can say will stop me from marrying the love of my life tomorrow,” she finished with fire in her eyes. Done with this conversation she moved to leave the room. Just short of the door, she turned to look over her shoulder. “Not that you really care, but Amelia is no longer a Torres either. The adoption went through. A judge could see how much we all loved each other. Why can’t you?” With that she headed up to her old room to calm down.

**~CA~**

Sitting on the couch in the living room, Arizona pointed the remote at the TV and flipped from one channel to another. Nothing could hold her focus for more than a second. The rest of the house was quiet. Everyone had gone to bed, except for Tim, who was around somewhere. She couldn’t sleep though, she was too excited about tomorrow.

“Ooh ‘Mysteries at the Museum,’” she exclaimed quietly as she got to the Travel Channel. It was one she had seen before, but she always enjoyed watching them a second time. This was one of her favorites. She loved the segment about Easter Island and how the stone statues may have been the downfall of the Rapa Nui.

“Mysteries again,” Tim whispered as he sat down next to her, startling her. “Haven’t you already seen this one?”

“It’s a good one!” she argued. “Plus there’s nothing else on.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed? Big day tomorrow and all?” Tim asked quietly.

Arizona shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Not getting cold feet are you?” he teased.

“Hell no,” Arizona vehemently replied. “I think I’ve been waiting to marry Callie since the day I met her. Possibly before that,” she admitted honestly.

“How is that even possible?” Tim didn’t get it. How could you be waiting to marry someone you hadn’t even met yet?

“The day we moved into this house, I knew something was different,” Arizona started, trying to figure out how to explain this to her brother. “I thought it was just because of the obvious differences. You were gone and we weren’t on base. But deep down, I think I knew a change was coming, something big was about to happen.”

Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander back to those first days in Seattle. “As soon as I saw her behind that office desk, I just knew she was meant to be in my life. Like I had found a piece of myself I didn’t even know was missing. And I felt good, happy even, but still something was missing. It was like this giant math problem I couldn’t solve. All these numbers and symbols across the page, but one number was missing and it was important. You couldn’t solve the problem without it. Then Callie put Amelia in my arms and I finally found that missing number.”

Tim watched his sister in awe. He’d never admit it, but he was jealous. Some people went their whole lives without ever feeling what his sister felt at such a young age. She had grown up so much in the last year.

“Amelia has always been my daughter, from the day she was conceived, because Callie has always been my partner, my heart. We’re already a family, but tomorrow will make it official. There is nothing that could stop that from happening.” At least if Arizona had any say in the matter.

“My little sister is getting married,” Tim said as if he’d just realized the significance. “She’s all grown up.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close to his chest, placing a kiss in her hair. “I’m so happy for you.”

Arizona smiled, knowing there really wasn’t anything that needed to be said. “I think I can sleep now,” she finally admitted around a yawn. “I think I’ll head up to bed.”

“Goodnight, sis,” Tim called to her as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

“Goodnight, bro,” Arizona responded, taking the stairs two at a time. Knowing it would be hard without Callie to snuggle with, Arizona decided on the next best thing. Taking a detour from her room, she entered Amelia’s to find the little girl sound asleep in her usual position. Callie never let Amelia sleep with them, but tonight Callie wasn’t here.

Lifting her daughter up carefully so as not to wake her, Arizona headed for her own room, laying Amelia down on their bed under the covers. Piling pillows on Callie’s side of the bed so that Amelia couldn’t roll off, Arizona wandered back over to her side. Climbing into bed, she pulled her baby into her arms, and let out a relaxing breath. Tomorrow she was getting married and she couldn’t wait.


	49. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

“Arizona, sweetie, time to get up,” Barbara called, lightly knocking on her daughter’s door. When she received no answer, she opened the door slowly and stepped into the room. The sight that greeted her filled her with emotion. Arizona and Amelia were curled up together chest to chest, sound asleep.

Crossing her fingers that they wouldn’t move, she quickly ran to her bedroom and grabbed her camera that was all ready for today. She snapped a picture of the two of them together, thinking how adorable it would look in Callie and Arizona’s wedding album.

Their expressions of complete relaxation were almost identical. It made it hard for even Barbara to believe that Amelia wasn’t biologically related. Overtime Amelia had picked up so many of Arizona’s mannerisms and expressions that she was almost a spitting image of Arizona at that age.

“Sweetie, you need to wake up,” Barbara whispered, lightly rubbing her daughter’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure if they wanted to wake Amelia just yet. Experience taught her that getting children ready for big events was best saved for last.

“Mmm, what time is it?” Arizona groggily asked, only partially conscious of the child in her arms.

“Just a little after eight. You need to get moving and get in the shower if you want to get to the country club on time,” Barbara told her.  They’d decided to hold the wedding at the Bear Creek Country Club because the place was gorgeous and Carlos was a VIP there, which made it easier to reserve.

The elder Robbins watched as her daughter rubbed the sleep from her eyes, looking every bit the little girl she used to be. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She was a mother now and soon she was going to be a wife. While she was extremely proud of the woman Arizona was becoming, Barbara couldn’t help but miss when her children were little.

Untangling herself from the sleeping toddler, Arizona headed for her bathroom, but then turned back. “I should probably feed Amelia first. You know how cranky she’ll be if she doesn’t get breakfast soon.”

“Go,” Barbara shooed her to the bathroom. “Tim got volunteered for baby-sitting duty,” she informed her daughter. Not that the young man minded, but he wasn’t really given a choice. Barbara and Laura were needed elsewhere.

A few blocks away, Callie was up and showered. She had been awake since early that morning, before her alarm had even gone off. She hadn’t slept that well because she missed both of her girls terribly. At one point she almost said “Screw it” and went home. She now agreed with Arizona, it was a terrible idea to spend the night apart.

Once it was an acceptable time to be awake, she made her way down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She didn’t know when she’d get a chance to eat next. It was probably a good idea to try and eat something now. There were a thousand things her parents’ chef could whip up, but the only thing she thought wouldn’t jolt her bundle of nerves was toast and a banana.

Knowing it wouldn’t be too long until she saw her girls again calmed her nerves slightly as she ate, although she couldn’t seem to shake her nerves completely. They had nothing to do with marrying Arizona, that she was extremely excited to do. They did have everything to do with knowing that soon she’d be the center of attention in front of several dozen people.

Their dresses had been sent ahead to the club already so that each girl could get ready there and not have to travel in the gowns. So for now Callie wore black slacks and a dark purple blouse. Even though she knew she would be changing later, she wanted to look nice on their special day. Plus, being a Torres meant she couldn’t show up to the her father’s club in a t-shirt and jeans.

“Limo is here,” Carlos called through her door.

“I’ll be right there,” Callie called back, taking one last look around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

The rest of the morning flew by in a flurry of activity. Callie’s aunt Fernanda volunteered to help her niece get ready for the ceremony, knowing Lucia would be there to help her. Callie was happy to have support from some of her family.

They were just finishing up her hair when there was a knock on the door. Identifying himself, Tim slowly opened the door with cautious eyes. “I got somebody who needs to see you,” he explained, opening the door wider so Amelia could wander in.

Her daughter was absolutely adorable in her dark pink dress. She wasn’t much of a fan of the color herself, but Arizona loved it, so she agreed to let the other girl pick out their daughter’s dress. “Hi baby. I missed you,” she told the little girl, trying to bend down to give her a hug.

“Mama pitty,” Amelia told her.

“Mama told you, you were pretty? Or is Mama pretty?” Callie asked. Amelia just looked at her like she had no idea what she was being asked. “Well you are very pretty and I can’t wait to see Mama,” Callie said, placing a kiss on Amelia’s cheek. Which wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had when she’d only just put on lipstick.

Wiping the lip print off Amelia’s cheek the best she could, Callie reapplied her lipstick. It was just about time for the ceremony to start and she could hardly wait. Becoming Arizona’s wife would be the second best thing to happen in her life, the first of course being Amelia. Nothing else in her life would ever compare.

When her father came in announcing they were ready to start, she smiled at everyone in the room before taking her father’s hand. “Let’s go get me married.”

Tim left ahead of them with Amelia in tow so that they could take their places in the lineup. Mark and Lexie were both already there. Tim headed out first, followed a few paces back by Mark, both taking their places on either side of the wedding arch.

Lexie walked next to Amelia holding the basket of flowers for the little girl. She handed her small amounts at time, encouraging her to throw them on the ground. The rest of the audience watched with smiles as Amelia then tried to wander back and pick them all up. She kept distracting the little girl with more handfuls and helped her make her way down the aisle.

Even though the wedding was outside, they’d planned it so that neither girl would be able to see the other until they were standing on opposite sides of aisle. Sliding her arm through her father’s, Arizona took a deep, calming breath, before putting one foot in front of the other. The guests stood and watched as the first bride made her way past them.

Once Arizona was settled on her side, and her father stepped away to join her mother, the signal was given for Callie to walk. Both girls had to catch their breath when they saw the other for the first time in their wedding dresses. Eye’s focused on Arizona, Callie barely felt the ground beneath her feet. She was eager to reach her beautiful partner.

As soon as they were standing face-to-face, Arizona couldn’t help herself and leaned in for a kiss, a gesture that garnered smiles and laughs from everyone. It was a clearing of the throat beside them that finally made them pull apart. With smiles on their faces, they both turned to face Judge Travis. There was only one person they could think of that they wanted to officiate their wedding, the man who made the firsts steps to them becoming an official, legal family possible. Lucky for them, he was available and agreed to do it.

 “We are gathered here today,” he began, “to celebrate the joining of two women who have chosen to spend their lives together. I had the honor of witnessing their love for one another first hand over a month ago when I granted their petition for adoption. I was honored when they asked me to officiate their wedding as well.”

He continued, sharing quotes and advice for both women for several minutes. When he asked for anyone who had cause for why they should not be married, Callie let out a breath when her mother didn’t make an appearance. “Now both women have decided to go with traditional vows, but they each have something to say to the other beforehand. Arizona?”

Arizona smiled, looking deeply into Callie’s eyes. “Less than a year ago I didn’t even know what it was like to have a friend. I had Tim, and he wasn’t so bad,” she said, getting a chuckle out of everyone. “But I had no idea what I was missing out on, how lonely I was, or how it would feel to stay in one place, to build roots, and a home. The first day I saw you I knew you were meant to be in my life. I had no idea, at the time you, would _become_ my life. I knew early on that we were meant to be, that you had been my heart and soul long before we ever met. I could never begin to express how much I truly love you, and how happy I am that you gave me the most perfect little girl to call my daughter. You two are my home now.”

Taking a moment, both girls wiped tears from their eyes. “Callie?” Judge Travis guided them forward.

“Arizona, I could never express in words how you changed my life. Up until I met you, I had lived in the same house all my life, but I didn’t know the difference between a house and a home. The first time I came to your house, I knew what I was missing. You welcomed me into your home, you gave me a family. For that alone I will always love you. And like you, I know that you are the one I am meant to spend my life with. We were destined for each other, that I am sure of. I will thank you every day for loving me and for taking me and Amelia as your own, and for making us a part of your family.”

The look of love never left either of their eyes as they were lead through their vows. As each girl said, “I do,” and placed a ring on the other’s finger, their hearts swelled with emotion. “I now pronounce you wife and wife,” Judge Travis announced. “You may _now_ kiss,” he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

The audience only got a brief glimpse of the grins on both girls’ faces before their lips were fused together. Even the few in the audience who were more hesitant about this relationship, couldn’t help but see the love flow between the two.

Not wanting to be left out, Amelia tried to push her way between her mothers, breaking their kiss. They both looked down at their little girl as she looked from one, to the other, waiting to see who would give her attention first.

Exchanging a look, they each took one of her small hands within their own and turned to face their family and friends. “I now introduce to you for the first time, the Robbins family,” the judge said from behind them as the trio made their way back down the aisle.

**~CA~**

More than an hour passed after the ceremony ended before Callie and Arizona finally made their way to the reception. Their photographer posed them for one photo after another, making each girl wonder if the session would ever end. Not that they didn’t want the pictures for memories, but several dozen of almost the same poses was a little much.

A few of pictures, especially the ones of the three of them, they couldn’t wait to see how they turned out. One in particular, the one of Callie and Arizona kissing Amelia’s cheeks, Arizona already wanted to to frame and put in their room. Maybe someday she’d even hang it up in her office when she started her career.

When they entered the tent, the party was already in full swing. They were surprised by how many people from school had actually shown up. Even more surprising was seeing Izzie, who was hesitantly entering from the other side of the tent. While they had a long way to go, both Callie and Izzie wanted to try and rebuild some of their friendship.

Before she could go say hello, however, both girls noticed Judge Travis making his way over to them. “You’re still here?” Arizona said surprised. They both figured he would have left a long time ago.

“I just wanted to congratulate you both,” he told them. “I was very honored you asked me to officiate for you.”

Callie wrapped an arm around Arizona’s shoulder, pulling her closer. “There’s no one else we would have preferred. You helped us through the first steps of becoming a family. It was only right we let you finish it.”

“Well I’m honored,” he repeated, looking at them both with tenderness. “I see a lot of divorce and custody hearings in my courtroom. It’s always refreshing and life-affirming to help create families, instead of take them apart. Congratulations again. I wish you both the best.”

“Thank you,” they said together.

After making their rounds and thanking everyone for coming, the two finally managed to get themselves something to eat. Neither Barbara nor Laura could fathom why the girls wanted teriyaki chicken served at their wedding. Both girls just shared a smile and neither elaborated.

Filling their plates up from the table that had been set up, both made their way to the table in front of the tented room set up just for them. Sitting down seemed to be easier said than done for Callie when her dress pulled tight on her as she maneuvered into a chair. “We should have changed sooner,” she whispered to Arizona.

“We’ll change before we cut the cake,” Arizona whispered back. “Wouldn’t want to get frosting stains on these lovely dresses, now would we?”

“Arizona Robbins, don’t you even think about it,” Callie groaned, already knowing there would be no changing her wife’s mind. Wife, she liked the sound of that.

“It’s tradition, Calliope Robbins,” Arizona smiled with childlike enthusiasm.

After dinner, both girls snuck back inside to the changing rooms. When Arizona realized they wouldn’t be able to get out of their dresses on their own, she grabbed her clothes and headed to Callie’s room.

“Think anyone will notice if we’re gone, say an hour,” Arizona whispered seductively as she pulled the zipper down Callie’s back. Helping her wife undress and not touch her wasn’t something she could comprehend.

 “I say 15, 20 minutes max before they send a search party,” Callie smirked as she slipped out of her dress and helped Arizona hang it up.

“We better be quick then,” Arizona decided, encouraging Callie to move faster as they pealed her dress off. “Go, make sure the door is locked,” she ordered while she hung her own dress up next to Callie’s.

After checking the lock, Callie turned back around, surprised when Arizona was right in front of her. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Arizona had her pinned to the door with lips claiming her own.

**~CA~**

Peeking her head out the door, Arizona was grateful to see that nobody was in the hallway. She was surprised that the two of them hadn’t been interrupted, but incredible grateful. It had been torture not being able to touch Callie like she wanted to the minute she saw her in her dress. “I think we’re clear,” she whispered behind her and slowly stepped into the hallway.

When they finally entered the tent for a second time, Arizona knew they’d been busted by the look on her mother’s face. The other woman just nodded her head, silently telling them she’d run interference for them.

“You two have already changed?” Laura said sadly as she walked up to them. “But you haven’t even had your first dance yet.”

“We can dance in these clothes, Grandma,” Arizona told her.

“But it’s not the same,” Laura explained, then mumbled something about youth and walked away.

“What was that about?” Callie asked.

“I have no idea. Come on, Mrs. Robbins. Let’s go see about that dance.”

“After you, Mrs. Robbins,” Callie agreed, taking Arizona’s hand. Yeah she could get used to this.

When they’d sat down to choose their wedding song, it took them awhile. They’d never had that one song that described their relationship. They’d finally chose, “I Knew I Loved You,” by Savage Garden. Somehow it really seemed to fit.

After their first dance, they each took a turn with Amelia, leading her around the dance floor before the little girl succumbed to a short nap. They also had the traditional father-daughter dance before they made the rounds with some of their guests.

As promised, when it came time to cut the cake, Arizona smashed it in Callie’s face. She smiled gratefully at Arizona for saving her clothes and hair from the mess and kissed her lightly. Then in a surprise twist, she got Arizona back. No one saw it coming when it happened and Arizona only smiled.

As the guests sat around eating cake, Callie and Arizona began going through the small pile of gifts. Callie and Arizona had to close a few of the gifts quickly and send a glare at the cousin or friend who had given it to them..

Not wanting Amelia to feel left out, they let her open a few of the safer ones, including the gifts each of them had gotten her for the special day. One was a blanket with all of their names stitched on it, along with the date of Amelia’s adoption, and the wedding date. The other was a teddy bear so she could have something to play with.

The next gift they opened was a sealed envelope, and what they pulled out had them slightly confused. They looked to see who gave it to them, and then they looked at Barbara and Daniel questioningly. The papers they had pulled out of the envelope looked like floor plans, but to what, they didn’t know.

 “We have a little surprise for you two,” Daniel started. “It’s official, we’ll be staying here in Seattle for good. No more moving around.”

“Really?” Arizona squealed, suddenly feeling the worry slip away. She knew she had Callie and Amelia now, but she really wanted to stay close to her parents to, especially for Amelia’s sake.

“Really,” Daniel smiled.

“What does this have to do with the floor plans?” Callie asked, not understanding.

“Well, we know you two have been torn on where to live,” Barbara jumped in. “Once we realized we were staying for good, we thought maybe you’d like to continue living with us. The floors plans are what the basement will look like once it’s finished.”

Arizona smiled, suddenly getting it. They were going to finish the basement so they could have the privacy they desired without having to move. It was quite perfect actually.

“The whole basement will be yours, with the exception of the laundry room. There will be two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living space and a small kitchenette,” Barbara finished.

“It should all be done about a week before you start school, too,” Daniel threw in.

“This is… amazing,” Arizona smiled. “Thank you so much,” she told them, standing so she could give each of them a hug. Callie followed and gave her thanks as well.

“We love you girls,” Barbara told them, pulling them both into a second hug.

“We love you too,” Callie told them.

When they settled back into their seats, they realized there was only one small present they hadn’t opened yet. It was addressed only to Callie with no indication of who it was from. Opening it slowly, she found a small felt box inside. Inside the box she found a necklace, but it wasn’t the necklace that surprised her, it was that she knew instantly who it was from. This necklace was one that had been passed down for several generations between mother and daughter.

Turning it so her father could see it, knowing he would recognize it, “Did you bring it?” Callie asked curiously.

“No, I didn’t,” Carlos answered, not sure how it got there either. Lucia hadn’t said anything to him at all about it.

“Why would she give me this?” Callie said sadly. It didn’t make any sense, especially after their fight the night before.

“I don’t know, mija. Maybe even she doesn’t know,” he told her. He didn’t want Callie to get her hopes up, especially without reason.

The rest of the night passed without incident. Callie and Arizona laughed and danced and enjoyed being around the ones they loved. It was a night they would both remember for the rest of their lives.

The hardest part of the night came when it was time to say goodbye to Amelia. Both of them gave her lasting hugs and kisses and expressed how much they loved her, repeatedly promising to return soon. Kissing her one last time, they climbed into the limo to head to the Bed and Breakfast where they would spend their honeymoon.

Once they were seated, and the door was closed behind them, Callie took Arizona’s hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Are you ready for this, Mrs. Robbins?”

Arizona responded with a kiss on her wife’s lips, “More than you’ll ever know, Mrs. Robbins.”

 


	50. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_11 months later…_

Glad to finally be home, Callie crept quietly down the stairs, not wanting to disturb her girls if they were sleeping. It had been a long day for her and she was never so grateful for a day to be over. She finally finished her last class of the semester and now had all summer to spend with her girls.

They enjoyed last summer, but there had been so much going on with the adoption, the wedding, and their honeymoon, that Callie was looking forward to having a more relaxing break. Of course they talked about going on some kind of family vacation, nothing extremely exhausting, maybe just a trip to Utah to spend time with Tim or something. At only two years old, Amelia was still too young to really enjoy anything bigger.

Reaching the basement floor, Callie smiled at the sight in front of her. Arizona and Amelia were snuggled together on the couch, sound asleep. Little Mermaid was playing quietly in the background. And if the discs lying around the DVD player were any indication, her girls had spent most of the day on that couch.

Moving toward the couch, Callie faintly heard the sounds of a cough coming from Amelia, but her daughter continued to sleep. “Poor baby,” Callie whispered, squatting down and running her hand gently through Amelia’s dark hair. She was glad to see she wasn’t as hot as she’d been when Callie left earlier that day.

Caressing Arizona’s cheek lightly, she roused her wife from sleep. “Hey, beautiful,” she greeted when blue eyes finally opened and spotted her.

“Hey, yourself,” Arizona whispered. Never taking her eyes away from Callie’s, she placed a kiss in Amelia’s hair and pulled her daughter closer. Cuddling with Amelia was one of her favorite things in the world, one she never took for granted.

“How’s she doing?” Callie asked quietly.

“Her fever broke a few hours ago, but I think the cough will be around for awhile longer. I did finally manage to get her to eat though. Just some toast, but it’s better than nothing,” Arizona answered.

“Good. And how are you doing?” Callie asked concerned. She didn’t want to leave earlier, knowing her family was sick, but Arizona insisted they’d be fine. There was no reason Callie needed to miss her last class because they both had a cold.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Arizona assured her. A small cough interrupted their conversation and caus both women to look down at the sleeping toddler. “We should probably get her into bed,” she suggested.

“Here let me take her,” Callie told Arizona. Standing up first, Callie leaned over and gently pulled the little girl into her arms. “I’ll put her down for the night, you go get in bed,” she all but ordered when Arizona stood to follow.

Nodding her head, knowing she wouldn’t win, Arizona did as she was told and headed into the room she shared with her wife. ‘Wife’, she smiled at the thought, almost a year later and she still couldn’t help the swell of love that came over her at that word.

She knew she wouldn’t be going anywhere today, so Arizona hadn’t changed out of her pajamas, but thought a fresh pair might help her sleep better. Her cough was almost gone, and only came intermittently. Her fever, however, still lingered.

Climbing between the covers, she sat up against the headboard to wait for her wife. There was something she had wanted to talk to Callie about lately, but was unsure of how to bring it up. The thought wouldn’t go away, so she decided she needed to just get the conversation over with before it drove her crazy.

“She’s out cold,” Callie announced as she entered the room. She left the door open just in case Amelia woke up and came looking for them. Even with the baby monitor, the little girl still managed to make it to their room undetected from time to time, banging on their closed door.

“Good. I hope she sleeps better tonight,” Arizona said.

“Me too,” Callie agreed.

Climbing in next to Arizona, Callie wrapped her arms around her lover and pulled her close. She’d long ago won the argument about the possibility of getting sick. She didn’t care. A little cold wasn’t going to stop her from being close to her wife or daughter.

After several minutes of cuddling in silence, Arizona pulled back a little so she could look Callie in the eye. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” she started.

Hearing the hesitance in Arizona’s voice made Callie’s mind go crazy with possibilities. She didn’t let herself react though and waited for Arizona to continue. When the blonde didn’t speak, Callie kissed her on the forehead. “What is it?” she whispered into her hair.

“I know this is probably going to seem really sudden and possibly crazy. But I’ve had this thought and I just can’t seem to get it out of my mind. No matter how hard I’ve tried it just sits there night and day,” Arizona rambled.

Now more curious than ever, Callie tried to hold in laughter at Arizona’s cute ramble. She knew how nervousness affected Arizona. She just couldn’t figure out what her wife had to tell her that would make her so nervous. “You know you can tell me anything right?”

“I know. I uh…” she paused, trying to get the words out. “I was thinking about us having more kids. How I don’t want Amelia to be an only child.”

Callie studied Arizona, wondering where this had come from. “I always figured we’d have more kids someday. Once we were out of med school and more settled into our careers.”

Arizona sighed, realizing her thoughts hadn’t come out right. “I was thinking more along the lines of trying for another baby now,” she finally admitted.

The surprise was evident on Callie’s face. Never in a million years did she think they’d be having this conversation. “Now?”

“I know, it sounds crazy,” Arizona agreed. “I thought it was totally insane when it first came to mind, but the more I thought about it, the more right it seemed to feel.”

“Alright,” Callie encouraged, wanting to see things from Arizona’s perspective.

“We’re going to have to leave the state when we start med school. That will leave Amelia without us or mom for long periods of time. We can put her in day care where she’ll have friends, but at home we’ll be studying and have less time for her than we would like. When we start our internship it’s going to be even worse,” Arizona paused, trying to organize her thoughts.

“We already knew this,” Callie pointed out. They’d already discussed their desire to be surgeons and how it would affect Amelia at length.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want more children with you no matter if it’s now or later,” Arizona started again. “I want more babies, as many as we decide we want, no matter when they come, because I love you and I love sharing a family. But my reason for wanting to have at least one more, now, mostly has to do with Amelia.”

The inside of Callie was jumping for joy. While they had never actually talked about the possibility of more kids, Callie always assumed they’d have them, someday. She was happy Arizona was on the same page. She loved being a mother more than anything in the world and she knew her wife felt the same. Still, she wasn’t sure what all of this had to do with Amelia. “Keep going,” Callie told her.

“So, I was thinking, if we give her a sibling now, at least she won’t be so alone. She’ll have somebody to play with. She’ll have someone, like I had Tim.”

“You know, not all siblings are like you and Tim,” Callie interrupted with a smile.

“Our kids will be!” Arizona insisted.

“Okay,” Callie smiled. “I’m still not sure how this would be a good idea though. As you pointed out we’ll already have diminished time for Amelia. How will bringing another child into that be a good thing?”

“Well, I think doing this will also create more time for them in a sense,” Arizona started. She’d thought this over again and again. So much in fact she was having flashbacks of all the thought she’d put into it before they’d decided on what college to attend.

“How?” Callie asked curiously.

“So, assuming I’m the one to get pregnant, we can decide that later,” she quickly added. “I was thinking I’d take a year off, at the end of my pregnancy or after the birth, just depending on how the due date lined up with the school year. That would be put me a year behind you in school,” she paused again, letting Callie process.

“This way, when you start you internship and are working insane hours I’ll still be in school and have more time at home. Then when I start my internship, you’d be a resident and would have a little more time at home.”

Callie could see her point. It would help to some degree, but their family would have to deal with the crazy hours of an intern for two years instead of one. She knew it was only temporary though, and anything that was temporary they could get through easily. “We wouldn’t get to share classes anymore though,” Callie said sadly.

“I know, and that would suck,” Arizona agreed. This first year of college they’d taken all the same classes except for one. It made studying so much easier because they could do it together, plus it gave them more time together.

“So assuming I’m going to say yes to this crazy plan,” Callie teased. She was already more than a little sold on the idea. Arizona made some very good points. Not that she expected anything less. When Arizona got an idea in her head, she thought it out thoroughly and explored all of the possibilities. “How would we do it?” There was no way Arizona hadn’t thought this part through either.

“Like I said, I was thinking I could be the one to get pregnant. Of course I still want to see you pregnant someday,” Arizona told Callie, lightly caressing her belly. “I missed that with Amelia so that’s something I want to see.”

Pulling away, she sat up and turned to face Callie who continued to lie there. “I was thinking I could have your baby, use your egg and have Tim as the donor. That way our baby will be linked to both of us. Even if you were the one to get pregnant, now or later we could still use Tim. Unless you totally hate that idea.”

“No, no, I like that idea,” Callie quickly told her. “But don’t you want to have one of your own someday?”

“They will be mine, just like Amelia is mine. This is the closest we’ll get to having one that is both of ours right now.”

Callie raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”

“Hey, they are making some amazing scientific discoveries,” Arizona said seriously. She hoped one day it would be possible for them to share a baby that was truly theirs, but only time would tell on that one.

“Alright, alright,” Callie said, holding a hand up in surrender. “Are you sure Tim would be willing?”

“Um, yeah, I know he is.” Arizona could see the look Callie was giving her. One that clearly said, “You already talked to him about this.” In a way she had, but not in the way Callie was thinking. “We talked about it, way before you and I got together. When I first came out to him, he said he’d be willing if I ever met the right person.”

“I see,” Callie sighed in relief. Not that she minded Tim knowing about their life, he was like a brother to her too now. She just didn’t like the idea that Arizona would have gone to him first about something like this. “So you want us to get started on this right away I take it.”

“Well, we don’t have to start tomorrow, but soon yes. Even if one of us got pregnant this moment, Amelia would almost be three by the time the baby got here.”

“I see your point,” Callie agreed. “After what I went through with Amelia, I’m not ready to be pregnant any time soon. I’m not saying ‘never,’ because a part of me does want that experience again, just not now.” She paused, watching Arizona’s face as she waited for an answer. It was hilarious to see how impatient she was for Callie to give her an answer. “However, to the idea of you getting pregnant, I’m saying yes.”

“Yes?” Arizona asked, unsure she’d heard her right.

Sitting up herself, she gave Arizona a deep kiss, before looking deep into her eyes. “Yes.”

“We’re having a baby,” Arizona smiled.

“We’re having a baby,” Callie repeated as Arizona jumped into her arms, pinning her to the bed. Arizona’s cold ceased to be on either woman’s mind as they lost themselves in celebration.

Almost one year later to the day Alexia Sofia Robbins was born.

**THE END**


End file.
